Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte Receives Excellence in Community Engagement Award
Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte was recognized with the Excellence in Community Engagement Award at Summit 2023, the annual networking and training event organized by Rebuilding Together for all affiliates nationwide, for its Building a Healthy Neighborhood program in historic Hidden Valley.
“Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte has not only excelled in providing essential repairs to Hidden Valley homes, but has also taken a proactive and holistic approach to community engagement,” said Jodie Liddy, Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Colorado in presenting the award. “Their dedication to listening, collaborating, and empowering the community has had a transformative impact on Hidden Valley, turning it into a healthier and more vibrant neighborhood.”
The program started critical home repair, accessibility modifications, and community revitalization projects in Hidden Valley in 2022 and is currently accepting applications.
“I would like to thank Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte for helping those homeowners who qualified for free home repairs, especially those seniors of the Hidden Valley Neighborhood,” said Marjorie Parker, president of the Hidden Valley Community Association Charlotte, one of the organizations RTGC has collaborated with to source applications and ideas for community revitalization projects.
To date, RTGC has completed 27 critical home repair and accessibility modification projects for low-income homeowners in Hidden Valley in addition to two community projects. Fifteen projects are in progress, and RTGC anticipates 30 projects through its second cycle of applications.
“This project is the first of this magnitude in Hidden Valley that I have heard of,” said Parker. “So often seniors who have worked and contributed to society all of their lives are left out. Being a senior myself and having many friends who are seniors, I know that we are those members of society who don't ask for help. A lot of times we suffer in silence.”
Before any repair projects even began, RTGC’s commitment to community engagement began in Hidden Valley. Starting in 2021 and throughout the entire work in the community, team members, including Executive Director Beth Morrison, actively participated in the Hidden Valley Community Association meetings. They engaged with local community leaders to receive community input prior to offering services in the neighborhood and understand their vision for the community. They sent postcards to homeowners, strategically placed yard signs, and sent out emails blasts to disseminate crucial information.
The dedication to building strong community relationships extends to local Community Development Corporations and other nonprofits in the area. These collaborations have created a robust network of resources for Hidden Valley residents. Staff connects homeowners with additional services offered by nonprofits in the area.
The initiative in Hidden Valley has reached local schools, parks, walking trails, and other gathering spaces in the community.
“As the President of the HVCAC, I am so grateful for Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte. I wholeheartedly support their work and mission,” Parker said.
The Building a Healthy Neighborhood (BaHN) program brings together Rebuilding Together’s strategic community development approach, the Community Revitalization Partnership, and our core practice model, Safe and Healthy Housing. Through Safe and Healthy Housing, we seek to advance health equity by improving health and housing outcomes for our neighbors in need in economically distressed communities. Experience working in these communities has taught us that systematic, coordinated approaches are needed to improve quality of life at the individual and community level. Accordingly, our Community Revitalization Partnership (CRP) model has called on our organization to adopt a deeper and longer-term (one year minimum) focus at the neighborhood level. By targeting our service delivery in specific neighborhoods and aligning our work more closely with other nonprofit providers and community leadership, Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte improves the health and safety conditions of entire neighborhoods, not just individual homes.
RTGC has previously served Lakeview (2021-2022), Druid Hills (2019-2021), and Camp Greene/Enderly Park (2018) neighborhoods through the Building a Healthy Neighborhood program.
Summit 2023, held Oct. 19-21 in Indianapolis, Ind., was hosted by Rebuilding Together Indianapolis.
With a mission of repairing homes, revitalizing communities, and rebuilding lives, Rebuilding Together is the leading nonprofit for providing critical home repairs and accessibility modifications.
Members of Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte pose on stage while accepting the Excellence in Community Engagement Award. Photo by Performing Arts Photography by Bateman.