The helping hands of volunteers have made for some happy homeowners over the past few weeks in Adams County's Welby neighborhood.
Since June 8, more than 50 volunteers have descended daily on the unincorporated north metro community-- bounded by Washingon Street and Colorado Boulevard between 70 th and 88 th Avenues--to complete all manner of
minor exterior home repairs for qualified residents.
"We really needed this," said 36-year-old Jenn LeBlanc, who watched as eight volunteers from the First United Methodist Church painted the red trim on her modest ranch home. "It's been depressing tosee all of the foreclosures around us and watch our [home] values drop. Hopefully, this will make a difference for the blocks."
If it does, LeBlanc will point to 'Helping Hands,' a partnership between Brothers Redevelopment and Adams County Community Development (ACCD) to repair homes in aging, unincorporated neighborhoods. Thanks to a $30,000 Community Development Block Grant from ACCD that has been endorsed by county commissioners, all improvements are being completed free of charge for qualified homeowners.
The scope of home repairs made possible via the program's federal funding have ranged from house painting to fence installation, from gutter repairs to yard cleanups across the state's largest county.
"Brothers" has recruited hundreds of volunteers to complete the early summer 'spruce-ups'--saving the county's homeowners thousands in home maintenance costs.
ACCD, meanwhile, is using 'Helping Hands' to highlight the many services it makes available to county homeowners and to gain a better sense of the challenges facing the I-25 corridor community. In years past, such assessments have led to the creation of neighborhood associations and wide-scale infrastructure improvements.
Brothers also has been using the event to showcase its unique brand of home maintenance and repair services for low-income, elderly and disabled homeowners--all of which are being sought in greater numbers by Adams County residents.
Over the past several years, the long-established nonprofit has served hundreds of homeowners across several Adams County communities.
In many cases, local officials have invited Brothers to share its services with residents. In addition to ACCD, Brothers since 2003 has developed formal partnerships with the cities of Brighton, Commerce City, Thornton and Northglenn.
"This is a wonderful program you have going here," said volunteer Marcia Donley, who made the trek to volunteer in Welby all the way from Hastings, Neb. "It's been a great opportunity to learn about the needs that exist here."