Cleo Jones' home in Birmingham, Alabama's Finley subdivision needed some work. He'd saved up for
A before photo shows the work that needed to be done on the home in the Finley subdivision.
siding – $4,000. But when he hired someone to do it, the contractor covered only part of the house and then skipped town. The project, one of several that the home needed, was left undone.
Looking at the house in the months that followed was a constant reminder to Jones that someone had ripped him off. "It runs you down," Jones says. "I'm retired and on a fixed income. It cleaned me out."
The home, after the revitalization project.
Jones registered for a home revitalization program at
Neighborhood Housing Services of Birmingham. He was on the waiting list for more than a year, but when his turn came, the NeighborWorks network organization covered his house with new siding, added gutters and installed an HVAC unit. That means that Jones has had a much cooler summer in Alabama, where the outdoor thermometer read 93. Jones says of his rehabbed home: "Every time I drive home to it or pull away from it, I have a smile on my face."
After the revitalization.
The before and after is "day and night," says Kelleigh Gamble, CEO of NHS of Birmingham, which expanded its business to include owner-occupied rehab in 2018. "We've been very fortunate in generosity from NeighborWorks, Wells Fargo, the city of Birmingham, Navigate and others."
The rehab of Jones' home benefitted from funding through the
Beeson Canterbury Fund and the
Navigate Affordable Housing Trust. "Since we started this line of business, we've rehabbed 65 to 70 houses. We see decades of deferred maintenance." His hope is that when other funders see the transformation, they'll be encouraged to contribute to the revitalization of Birmingham homes.
The revitalization program is making a difference in Birmingham.
The goal of the program is to help the homeowners
preserve their homes and their quality of life, according to Jared Sluss, real estate coordinator. "We can help residents save money on utility bills and more. We prioritize based on need." Improvements to Jones' property also included replacing old windows with energy efficient ones and new insulation. He was about to lose eligibility for homeowners' insurance, Sluss relates, but the changes made the insurance possible.
It took six weeks to complete the work on Jones' house. The results, of course, last much longer. Says Jones, "It makes me feel better about everything."
Further reading: NeighborWorks America's Stop Home Scams initiative raises awareness of potential scams.
