For community members who are disabled or elderly and living on a fixed income, sometimes the money to make necessary home repairs just isn’t there. Fixing a roof might have to be overlooked in order to pay for food or medicine.
That’s where HOPE Home Repair comes in. The faith-based organization seeks to help the elderly, disabled community members, low-income families with children and other homeowners in need with repairs.
“We help those folks who just really can’t help themselves,” said Neal Schwabauer, founder. “They have nowhere else to go. Most of the folks we deal with cannot work.”
Organization representatives gave a presentation about the ministry at a Newton City Commission work session Tuesday evening.
The program was established in 2004 to fill the gap left by the termination of the city’s partnership with Mennonite Housing Rehabilitation Services of Wichita, a similar home-repair program.
Some of the projects the ministry has worked on include installing a concrete ramp to help a community member more easily access her home and the sidewalk in front of her house. The organization also helped a man who lost his leg to diabetes and could not fit his wheelchair through the narrow bathroom door in his house. The bathroom also was not handicap accessible.
“This was a major house remodel,” said Kathy Bestvater, who serves on HOPE’s board of directors.
Tim Johnson, assistant city manager, said the city could help the ministry through Community Development Block Grant loans. This set-up would not be funded by city tax dollars, and it would utilize funds that cannot be used for operational expenses.
“This is money the city can do good things with,” Johnson said. “... It allows us to address several of the goals in the ReNewton project without spending any tax dollars.”
The city commission will be discussing a possible arrangement with HOPE Home Repair at a future meeting.
For more information about the ministry or how to volunteer, call 284-1011 or e-mail hopehomerepair@iwichita.com.
Other business
The city commission also approved an interlocal agreement with the Harvey County Commission for the formation of the Kansas Logistics Park Development Authority.
According to Erin McDaniel, the city’s public information officer, creating the new entity will allow the logistics park to lease property to industrial prospects and still be able to offer tax abatements. Interest already has been expressed in this type of arrangement by a prospect.
In the future, the Development Authority could take on management and operational responsibilities for the logistics park as the project grows and expands into new enterprises, such as a city/county-owned rail operation or a foreign trade zone, McDaniel said in a news release. The Development Authority will have no independent authority not delegated to it by the city and county.
The commission also recognized Lunda Asmani, assistant city manager for budget and finance, and Chris Tuohey of Sand Creek Station Golf Course/Kemper Sports, for being selected as a part of the Wichita Business Journal’s 2011 “40 Under 40” class. The program recognizes young professionals who stand out in their communities.
“I just think it’s a significant recognition,” City Manager Randy Riggs said.
Source http://www.thekansan.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment