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#GreenNFit Neighbourhood Rebuild

Bronze 2019 | United States of America

Outline

Renovating homes and revitalising public spaces in Massachusetts, USA

Studies show that people of colour and low-income individuals are affected most by poor housing conditions. In the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, almost half (48%) the population is non-Caucasian and nearly one in three (29.7%) lives below the poverty line in ageing housing stock.

A project in the city’s Old Hill Neighbourhood has improved the health and quality of life of low-income households by carrying out vital home repairs and revitalising community spaces. It brings together thousands of volunteers from the local community and north-east region of the USA to renovate one city block on a single day each year, for 10 years.

The #GreenNFit Neighbourhood Rebuild programme is run by the Revitalize Community Development Corporation (Revitalize CDC). Revitalize CDC invests around $0.5 million USD into each annual block renovation, funded by cash and in-kind donations from a wide range of organisations.

The Old Hill Neighbourhood project was completed in 2019 benefitting 4,371 people, including 191 households whose homes were repaired. Improvements included the development of a playground and two new community gardens, clearance of 33 vacant lots, and upgrades to five non-profit facilities and a public school for at-risk students.

The #GreenNFit model has been expanded to Holyoke, Massachusetts, where it is now improving quality of life for the almost one-in-three (29%) of children in the city who live below the poverty line.

Full details

The city of Springfield is one of the poorest and most ethnically diverse communities in the state of Massachusetts, USA. Almost one-in-three (29.7%) people lives below the poverty line and nearly half (48%) of the population is non-Caucasian. The city’s housing stock is old, with two in every five (40%) homes built before 1940 and the vast majority (86%) built before 1980. These old homes have a number of issues, including moisture, mould and pest problems. Around 89% of homes in Springfield were built before lead paint became illegal in 1978, resulting in lead poisoning rates three times higher than the state average.

Between 2011-2013, Springfield was damaged by a series of tornadoes. Many homeowners either had inadequate insurance policies or no insurance at all to cover the cost of rebuilding or repairing their homes. These disasters – and the devastation they caused in an already struggling community – inspired a project to rebuild and repair homes and communal spaces in Springfield with the aim of improving quality of life and health and creating a sense of civic pride for residents.

The #GreenNFit Neighbourhood Rebuild project is run by non-profit organisation the Revitalize Community Development Corporation. It brings together thousands of volunteers to renovate one city block on a single day each year, for 10 years. The Springfield project began in the Old Hill Neighbourhood of the city in January 2012 and completed three years ahead of schedule in 2019 (due to work being carried out on more than one block at a time).

The project has benefitted the entire Old Hill Neighbourhood (4,371 people) including 191 households whose homes were repaired. Improvements included the development of a playground and two new community gardens, clearance of 33 vacant lots, and upgrades to five non-profit facilities and a school for at-risk students.

At the request of town administrators, the model has been expanded to the nearby city of Holyoke, where more than half the population is non-Caucasian and 28.6% of the population lives below the poverty line, including 29% of children – the highest rate in Massachusetts. The first mass renovation day was held in Holyoke in October 2016. Since then Revitalize CDC has repaired 19 more homes and invested more than $600,000 USD in the city.

The project in practice

The #GreenNFit project involves initial planning that starts with grass-roots organisations, residents, municipal departments, neighbourhood councils and non-profit organisations all working together to identify areas and residents in most need.

All members of the community can participate in the project and are particularly encouraged to help with renovations to their own homes. Tasks are offered to suit people’s abilities, for example, helping to serve refreshments to volunteers, simple construction work, or taking part in clearance, gardening and other non-specialist jobs. Trained professionals carry out specialist construction work, such as energy improvements, damp/mould treatment, and roof replacement.

Volunteer tradespeople help with work on vacant land, such as unused green spaces, and dilapidated playgrounds. These areas are either cleaned up and repaired or rebuilt to bring them back into public use. Some unused green spaces have been converted into community gardens with fruit trees and vegetable patches.

Revitalize CDC invests approximately $0.5 million USD into each annual block renovation. This covers running costs including community outreach, programme and project management, construction and building materials, skilled construction labour, food and water for volunteers, t-shirts, social media, and storage for materials. Funds are raised through cash and in-kind donations from a range of local, state, federal, and private philanthropic organisations. The project has also received grants from corporate and private foundations.

One of the most innovative aspects of the project is the galvanising of large numbers of people to volunteer on a single block on just one day. Revitalize CDC estimates the project receives $229,440 USD worth of volunteering labour each year and almost all (90%) of volunteers return each year to support the project. With the addition of materials, Revitalize CDC evaluated the total value of community support at the 2019 mass renovation day in Springfield to be $486,000 USD.

All services are provided at zero cost to homeowners, making Revitalize CDC the only organisation in the region to provide totally free (no liens, loans or attachments) home repairs.

Social and environmental impact

Recycled and environmentally friendly products are used during the renovation process, which has a lower environmental impact than demolition and rebuild. The programme works with several organisations to recycle any waste materials, while suitable excess materials are donated to other organisations. Leftover paint is given to homeowners, so they can use it to maintain their homes.

Older homes require more heating, which increases oil, gas and electricity consumption. Revitalize CDC makes key energy-saving improvements, including repairs to heating, ventilation and air-conditioning units, the installation of insulation and double-glazed windows, water-saving plumbing fixtures, and new roofs.

By delivering these improvements free-of-charge, #GreenNFit helps to reduce social inequalities in low-income neighbourhoods, where people cannot afford to maintain or upgrade their homes. The project tackles social isolation and fosters shared community values. Young students have established relationships with elderly residents that have continued outside #GreenNFit events, while beneficiaries are encouraged to take part in future events as volunteers.

Neighbours become more engaged and connected throughout the duration of the project, making communities healthier and safer places to live. The redevelopment of open spaces prevents the misuse of public land, encourages participation and socialising through increased sport and leisure activities, and can reduce crime.

Home renovations lead to improvements in heat efficiency, a reduction in utility bills (households save on average $700-800 USD per year) and better health for residents suffering from conditions relating to damp, mould and poor heating. Modifications to homes, such as access ramps, help to prevent injury and illness and allow elderly and disabled people to remain in their homes.

All #GreenNFit homeowners are given assistance by Revitalize CDC to help them negotiate payment plans for any taxes in arrears.

The future

The #GreenNFit project relies on its well-co-ordinated volunteering programme and its efficient local fundraising and donor programme. The success of these programmes in Springfield and Holyoke has contributed to further income for the organisation, which is expanding its reach to help military veterans make critical repairs and modifications to their homes. The work will take place from 2019-2022, funded by a three-year $730,000 USD grant from the Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Veterans Housing Rehabilitation and Modification Pilot Program.

Revitalize CDC’s work in Springfield and Holyoke has led to interest from other communities wanting to deliver similar projects and the organisation has so far provided consultation and mentoring to eight cities across the USA.

By tapping into the time-honoured US tradition of home building and renovation, #GreenNFit has developed a highly effective way of delivering large-scale community action. The project provides tangible improvements to homes and public spaces, strengthening social bonds and reducing inequalities for people living in some of the poorest neighbourhoods in the country.

View the full project summary here

Resident stories

Delores Culp’s home was badly damaged in a 2011 tornado. She served in the National Guard for three years and is now a volunteer and member of the board of directors of Revitalize CDC.

In 2010 I heard Revitalize CDC on the radio talking about people who needed help with their homes. My insurance company was going to cancel my insurance because my roof was leaking. They helped me to get a new roof, but then a year later the tornado destroyed my home. Trees fell on my house. I had holes in the roof where the trees came through my bedroom and water coming through all of the light fixtures. My kitchen cabinets were knocked off the wall. It was a mess.

Revitalize CDC came out to my house a day after the tornado to make sure I was all right. They helped me find honest contractors. Insurance did not cover all of my expenses to rebuild my house. That’s where Revitalize CDC helped me. At that point I’d had five back surgeries and was walking with a cane. They helped me by installing a ‘right-height’ disabled toilet and grab bars in the bathroom, added insulation and so much more.

They are very warm people and very helpful. Our needs come before anything else. They treat every family and home as if it were their own.

They changed my life. All these people came to my house to help me. It was bigger than I could ever imagine.

It was wonderful! So many thoughtful people. They had 2,000 volunteers over five days come from all over, helping 25 families that were hurt by the tornadoes. It was a good feeling to see people reaching out to help me and others, and I didn’t even know them. I still keep in touch with a lot of the volunteers and families that were helped. I don’t care where you come from, it was really something to see all these people come together. It was overwhelming to me. I started off being helped, then I became a volunteer!

People say I don’t know if we would be here without Revitalize CDC. They bring the whole neighbourhood together too. I’ve watched over the years how people have gotten to know each other and then look out for each other. It makes a difference.

I went to a house one time and the woman didn’t even have a sink to wash her dishes. It was so sad. I have been in different homes and I say to myself that I didn’t know this was going on in people’s homes, that they can’t afford to get the work done.

I drive up and down the streets just to see what the neighbourhood looks like and everybody keeps it up. It changes you because you are in this world for a reason and there have been so many helpful people and I am very thankful for everything that everyone has done for me.

We do a lot of work on veterans’ homes. And I get a chance to meet each one of them. They tell me stories. It is nice talking to people who have served also.

I’ve learned to not take life for granted. Enjoy life. Keep that smile. I am thankful for everything that has happened to me in my life. It has opened up a lot for me. Just getting to know people and helping out.

Some people open up their house and cook us some food. A man who was 97 years old was so thankful he just wanted to come outside and talk to people. It is beautiful.

It’s changed my life!

Marcia McFarland-Gray is a retired Senior Director of Major Accounts at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, a health insurance company which supported the #GreenNFit Neighbourhood Rebuild.

I was first introduced to Revitalize CDC in 2011 after hearing of their work helping homeowners with critical repairs following the devastating tornado in western Massachusetts. I heard them on the radio talking about how they brought volunteers together to help neighbours and strangers clean up their yards and repair & refresh their homes.

As one of the founders of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts’ employee ‘Service Day’ (where 3,000 associates perform community service in four dozen projects across the Commonwealth on a designated day each September), I reached out to explore partnering with Revitalize CDC. We have worked closely together every year since, completing work on the houses and yards of needy homeowners, with a special focus on veterans. Revitalize has done a tremendous job identifying families in need, and connecting them with our volunteers. Not only do they make sure constituents are served, they create rewarding volunteer experiences. Folks travel from as far away as Boston to stay engaged with the projects each September.

As a volunteer, my experience then expanded to volunteering as a ‘house captain’ to lead volunteers’ work on low income homeowners’ properties in Revitalize’s annual GreenNFit neighbourhood revitalisations in Springfield and Holyoke, MA. More than 1,000 volunteers work on dozens of homes in a designated neighbourhood on a single day, and many return year after year because the experience is so rewarding. In the span of a day, critical repairs are made, homes painted, yards cleaned out and landscaped – but more importantly the spirits of the homeowners are lifted by the many helping hands.

I have witnessed neighbours meeting neighbours for the first time during these large projects, as well as the formation of neighbourhood watch groups. The vibe is positive and infectious!

Revitalize CDC is an integral part of the fabric of the community and knows each neighbourhood and its unique needs. They are always sensitive to the priorities and choices homeowners make, and go above and beyond to identify other resources to help families with needs beyond housing and ensure they get connected. Their work truly transforms neighbourhoods, building block by block on successes and drawing in recipients of services who then ‘pay it forward’ and help others. Their expanded work into housing as a social determinant of health through the asthma programme and others demonstrates how they continue to identify and address needs in the community.

Revitalize CDC is very well respected by community leaders and lauded by all who have worked with them.