This July, Group Mission Trips sent Christian volunteers over the week of the 15th to flood the City on a mission to repair 17 homes across Woonsocket. Senior citizens, veterans, disabled and lower-income Woonsocket homeowners received a week of no strings attached home repairs through our Woonsocket Free Home Repair Program–everything from exterior and interior painting up to 25ft. and wheel chair accessibility construction, to porch and step repair/replacement, and landscaping.
“We are so thrilled to have some wonderful participants once again this year!” said Paula Rezendes, NWBRV Free Home Repair Project Manager. “We have some great folks both on the working and homeowner ends–122 kids and their chaperones, who camped as a team at Woonsocket Middle School, as 20 groups, working on 17 separate properties!”
While our NeighborWorks staff is quite familiar with mass community efforts to revitalize and rehabilitate their amazing city, our team here at NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley was once again beyond excited to help facilitate an incredible opportunity for Woonsocket homeowners.
“I’m thrilled to be able to help highlight a couple of our Woonsocket homeowners and project recipients,” Paula said. One homeowner, Frances Valeika is a paraplegic. She was an emergency room nurse who is confined to a wheelchair. We painted the interior of her home and repaired her door, making it a functioning oversized door for a wheelchair. She is a lovely lady and very appreciative of this program.”
“This spring I read about a great program offering free home repairs!” Frances shared with us. “NWBRV was taking applications and I was elated to find out that my home and I were accepted! I looked forward to having my wheelchair accessible ramp repaired, as well as interior painting done and a new exterior door installed. It was wonderful–the kids rolled up their sleeves and got right to work. They were affable, social, and completed everything on the list, fulfilling their mission while staying at the middle school. My family and I are so happy with their work and dedication. I’d like to thank Paula and NWBRV for bringing this program to Woonsocket.”
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis yearly for this program. Based on past experience, interested applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible each year. We stop accepting applications annually once 60 have been received.
The Woonsocket Free Home Repair program is truly an exceptional opportunity for Woonsocket homeowners in need. The volunteers sleep on classroom floors, enjoy their meals in the cafeteria, and come together twice a day for an inspirational program and prayer session run by the Group Mission Trip team.
Group Mission Trips is excited to continue our partnership with NeighborWorks, for our 6th year of bringing these young people here to provide an opportunity for these great youth and their leaders to serve the residents of Woonsocket. The community was incredible during set up week, and Beauchemin Lumber was amazing to work with.”
Linnea McGinness, the Camp Director.
The Woonsocket Free Home Repair Program would not be possible without the support of the City. We’d like to thank our Fire Department, who runs fire drills and ensures each classroom is a safe sleeping area through the temporary installation of CO2 detectors; the Solid Waste Division, who assists with the timely removal of trash from the worksites; the Office of Minimum Housing, who helped our staff to identify projects; and last but not least, the School Department, especially the custodial staff, go above and beyond to accommodate the volunteers all week long.
“Home repairs are expensive, and current inflation and rising interest rates have made many necessary repairs out of reach for so many local homeowners,” Paula said. “We’re grateful for the commitment of these young adults from across the country who have volunteered their time and money to support these Woonsocket residents.”
Over the course of the week, volunteers will “collectively contribute 3,660 hours of volunteer labor – with a total economic impact to the community of $128,173.”
Meg Rego, NWBRV Director of Resource Development & Communication
“It’s so amazingly uplifting to see how these groups of youth bond with the homeowners,” Paula said. They sit at lunch together, pray, read scriptures. So many homeowners were thrilled to be involved in the repairs. This opportunity is for real—it’s zero out of pocket for families.”
2024 marked the sixth year NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley has partnered with Group Cares to offer the Free Home Repair Program. Over the course of the first five years of the program, which has taken place in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2023, over 200 homes have been repaired by 1578 volunteers, contributing over 30,000 hours of volunteer investment into the City. The Free Home Repair Program has invested $1.5 million in the Woonsocket Community since launching in 2016.
Questions about the Free Home Repair Program or future applications can be directed to the Program Manager Paula Rezendes, prezendes@nwbrv.org, 401-762-0993.
