Rebuilding Together New Orleans

Rebuilding Together New Orleans’ (RTNO) mission is to preserve and revitalize houses and communities, assuring that low-income homeowners can live in warmth, safety, and independence. In addition to home repairs services, RTNO offers a summer workforce development program to train opportunity youth in construction skills and professional development that help increase their opportunities of obtaining higher paying jobs that alleviate poverty. The VISTA project will seek to develop resources, partnerships, curriculums, and recruitment strategies with local and national organizations and groups already working with or interested in working with youths to expand the summer program into year-round opportunities. The two VISTA members will contribute to the goals of the project by performing activities such as community assessment, volunteer recruitment, outreach, performance measurement, program development and delivery, and community awareness and engagement over the course of twelve months.

Rebuilding Together New Orleans (RTNO) is committed to continue meeting the needs of low-income homeowners in our community. About 30% of RTNO applicants are living with a disability, and many are living in homes without the necessary equipment to safely move around. Because many elderly homeowners in New Orleans are unable to work, they live on the fixed income afforded to them by social security; this lack of disposable income prevents them from making the critical home modifications necessary to facilitate their mobility and independence. Repairs RTNO providers our clients keep elderly and disabled homeowners in their homes longer, hindering blight from spreading and sustaining the quality of life in their neighborhoods. Our programs provide a variety of accessibility and safety features for homeowners living with a disability to reduce the likelihood of falls, work to preserve their health, and save them money on medical expenses to help sustain financial independence.