Home Repairs for Good is hosting their annual Fall Repair Fest in Martindale Brightwood.
The annual event put on by Home Repairs for Good’s volunteers will be from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 26. It kicks off at the Edna Martin Christian Center Leadership and Legacy Campus and will feature volunteer teams of 8-10 per site.
“It’s really nice because a lot of times we may just keep going, going, going until they (the houses) go down,” said Franchester Floyd, an east side homeowner. “But it’s always nice to have help where you can to keep your property up.”
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Home Repairs for Good is a nonprofit organization launched in 2013 and provides free critical home repairs for homeowners who are older, living with disabilities at or below 150% of the federal poverty line to help them “age in place” safely and with dignity, according to the website.
Floyd has lived in Martindale Brightwood since 1964. The home she currently owns was passed on to her from her parents. She raised her own children in that home and has great memories of the neighborhood and her neighbors — which are now a mix of the children and grandchildren of her original neighbors as well as new renters.
As she got older, Floyd said it became harder and harder to take care of things around the house and on her property by herself. A few years ago, Home Repairs for Good reached out to Floyd and were able to patch her roof, replace her gutters and do light yard work. This year, volunteers will clear Floyd’s fence line for better visibility, trim bushes, clear gutters and repaint the shed in her backyard.
“I just appreciate it, you know?” Floyd said. “I just wish and hope that a lot of other people would look into it because it is a good project.”
Without Home Repairs for Good’s Fall Repair Fest, homeowners like Floyd would not be able to keep up with most of the routine maintenance or yard work their homes need. Having volunteers come together to give these homes attention means “the value doesn’t go down,” in the area Floyd said.
Home Repairs for Good is entirely volunteer-operated. Skills are not required for volunteers, but they must be at least 18 years old. To register as a volunteer, visit homerepairsforgood.org/frf. For more information on how to donate to repairs or see if you qualify for a no-cost repair, visit homerepairsforgood.org.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848 or [email protected]. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.