Rebuilding Together and a team of Wells Fargo volunteers will formally kick off the Healthy Housing Challenge  on April 25, 2015 by completing critical repairs to make a home in North Central Phoenix dramatically healthier and safer. Repairs will include: painting and landscaping the home’s exterior, new windows, siding and fascia and will be funded, in part, by a $15,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation along with a commitment of 60 team member volunteer hours.
 
Rebuilding Together is one of 32 local organizations across the country that is leading the Healthy Housing Challenge, which is a joint project of the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) and Rebuilding Together.  The Healthy Housing Challenge provides tools, training and additional funds to help Rebuilding Together affiliates make free critical repairs to correct health and safety hazards in the homes of low-income families, seniors, veterans and persons with disabilities.
 
Nationwide, an estimated 30 million homes pose potential health threats, which contribute to asthma and other respiratory diseases, carbon monoxide poisoning, lung cancer, falls, and burns, which add billions to national health care costs.  Many such hazards can be corrected through relatively simple, low-cost repairs, such as repairing roofs and gutters, removing old carpeting, clearing clogged clothes dryer vents, adding ventilation, installing grab bars and handrails, and sealing gaps and cracks to keep out pests.
 
Making Homes Healthier and Safer
 
“Wells Fargo is proud to support Rebuilding Together and help to kick off the National Housing Challenge,” said Pam Conboy, lead region president for Wells Fargo Arizona.  “Our team members are passionate about giving back and we know that these small measures, together, will make a huge difference to housing in Phoenix and to the well-being of those who live here.”
 
Since 2013, Wells Fargo has committed $959,000 to the Healthy Housing Challenge, helping to build the capacity of 40 Rebuilding Together affiliates in communities across the country.
 
Rebuilding Together affiliates in 11 other communities are making expanded health and safety repairs through Healthy Housing Challenge projects this spring: Austin, TX; Bergen County, NJ; Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Montgomery County, MD; Portland, OR; Rohnert Park/Cotati, CA; Saratoga County, NY; Santa Rosa, CA; Silicon Valley, CA; and Tri-Cities, VA.
 
“We hope that by participating in the Healthy Housing Challenge, Rebuilding Together affiliates will have a ripple effect in their communities. The public deserves to know about dangers in the home and the simple steps they can take to protect themselves,” said Dennis Flynn, Executive Director, Rebuilding Together Valley of the Sun. “When we work together in applying the principles of healthy homes, simple repairs can make every home safer and healthier.”