Serve Our Seniors (SOS) Owner-Occupied Repair Program https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/proposals-2011/serve-our-seniors-sos-owner-occupied-repair-program https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/@@site-logo/sitelogo-75x75.png

Serve Our Seniors (SOS) Owner-Occupied Repair Program

Additional Information
Used for	The Serve Our Seniors (SOS) Program provides health- and safety-related repairs for extremely low-income senior and disabled homeowners who can no longer afford to keep their homes safe, sanitary and structurally sound. Merced makes repairs at no cost to the homeowners. A grant of $16,000 would provide repairs for at least two senior or disabled homeowners.
Benefits	The SOS Program brings greater comfort and safety to the homes of extremely low-income seniors and disabled persons. Beyond the obvious restoration of healthful, sanitary conditions, repairing seniors’ homes reduces their stress, which can create many indirect health benefits. Through the experience of repairing nearly 500 homes, we have found that recipients of our program have renewed faith, optimism and hope for the future.
Proposal Description	Through the SOS Program, Merced Housing Texas makes home repairs for extremely low-income senior and disabled homeowners who cannot afford to keep their homes safe, sanitary or structurally sound. Many of these homeowners manage to live without basic necessitites such as heat, gas, water, or electricity. Gas leaks, faulty wiring, broken plumbing and damaged roofs and walls constitute serious health and safety risks. However, they subsist on fixed incomes and are unable to afford food, insurance, and medicine, let alone make repairs or qualify for home improvement loans. Merced makes desperately needed repairs at no cost to the homeowner. Each home costs an average of $7,000 to $8,000 to repair. The goal of the SOS Program for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, is to make repairs for at least 20 senior and disabled homeowners. The SOS Program is solely funded by individual contributions and grants from foundations and corporations. The SOS Program began in 2002 when we met Miss Rosa Mercado, who was 65 years old. Miss Mercado lived on the East Side of San Antonio in a small, Victorian, gingerbread house. Her front porch was crumbling and she had no stove or hot water. She entered her home by balancing on two boards. She heated water for bathing in a crock pot and cooked on a hot plate. Merced used our own funds to match a grant, and we repaired Miss Mercado’s porch and provided a new stove and water heater for her. Our target area for the SOS Program is the East Side of San Antonio, roughly comprising City Council District 2, one of the most sorely neglected and underserved areas of the city. Occasionally we repair homes in other areas of the city when the need is compelling. Merced has been successful in creating collaborations with other entities, leveraging funds to repair increasing numbers of homes. The SOS Program has served as a model for several City of San Antonio home repair programs, and this past year we partnered with the City of San Antonio on the District 2 Senior Home Repair Program. We were able to surpass the program goal of 40 homes and make repairs for 45 senior homeowners. The process for SOS repairs begins with the potential recipient requesting assistance and filling out an application. To meet eligibility requirements for the Serve Our Seniors Program, applicants must: *own their homes; *have extremely low incomes, or 30% of the Area Median Income (AMI). (In 2011, 30% of the AMI is $12,600 a year for a person living alone.) *be either 56 or older and/or have a documented disability; and *live in the geographic target area of the East Side of San Antonio. If the recipient qualifies for the SOS Program, the Rehabilitation Specialist visits the home and assesses repair needs, documenting with photographs. Contractors submit bids and the Rehabilitation Specialist contracts to make repairs. The contractor, Rehabilitation Specialist and recipient sign a scope of work. The contractor makes repairs. The Rehabilitation Specialist inspects the work and documents with photographs. He administers a survey through which the recipient rates the quality of the work and the manner in which it was performed. Merced compensates the contractor. Merced evaluates the success of the SOS Program internally through inspections by the Rehabilitation Specialist and externally by surveying recipients. The Rehabilitation Specialist, SOS Program Coordinator and President review each rehabilitation effort. They discuss challenges, lessons learned and best practices on an ongoing basis. The Rehabilitation Specialist photographs recipients’ homes during the initial assessment process and within a week after rehabilitation is complete. He inspects the repairs to each home. Recipients complete a survey, which allows them to rate aspects of the program on a scale of 1 to 5. They are asked to evaluate both the quality of the work itself and the demeanor and professionalism of the construction crew and Merced staff involved. The survey includes space for additional comments as well. Word of Merced’s SOS Program has spread throughout the San Antonio community. We receive calls daily from senior and disabled homeowners in desperate need, referred by other nonprofits, including the United Way. Our waiting list now numbers more than 250 extremely low-income seniors and disabled persons. We remain open to collaboration with other entities on home repair programs, and we are strongly committed to funding for the SOS Program, so that we can bring safety and comfort to more and more senior and disabled homeowners in need.