We provide free home repairs for low-income Philadelphia homeowners, with a focus on health, safety and energy efficiency.
Housing is a human right, it is fundamental to survival, and homeownership gives a family the financial security of building equity (rather than paying rent) as well as the security of having a place to call your own. It offers a stable environment to raise a family, a sense of pride, and a stake in the community. But upkeep is expensive—especially given the age of so much of the city’s housing. Simple fixes are prohibitive when living paycheck to paycheck. When was the last time you spent less than $200 for even a simple repair? (And usually it’s much more.) Needed repairs—sometimes put off for years—create serious problems for low-income families and individuals.
That’s where we come in.
Each year, with the support of hundreds of volunteers and community partners, we provide repairs to at least 125 homeowners. Since 1988, we have repaired over 2,100 homes to make them safe, healthy and secure assets for the next generation.
History
Rebuilding Together Philadelphia was founded as “Christmas in April” in 1988 by former board member Robert Bellinger and his fellow graduate students at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In 2003, the organization formed into the local, independent affiliate of Rebuilding Together, Inc., the nation's leading nonprofit organization providing critical home repairs, modifications, and improvements for America's vulnerable homeowners.
Mission: Repairing homes, revitalizing communities, rebuilding lives.
Vision: Safe homes and communities for everyone.
Rebuilding Together Philadelphia pursues its mission one house at a time, but our work to repair, rebuild and revitalize is about more than physical structures. At its core, our work is about addressing the institutional and longstanding racial inequities that create and maintain housing inequality.
We know that homeownership is one of the most effective ways to build long-term wealth. Yet both historically and currently, Black and brown Americans do not have the same access to that opportunity as white Americans. This is long overdue repair work we cannot afford to defer. With the help of our volunteers, community partners and donors, we aren’t. Join us!