Rebuilding Together and Lowe’s to Host Annual Building a healthy Neighborhood Event in Cleveland, Ohio

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 8, 2016 – Rebuilding Together, a leading national nonprofit in safe and healthy housing that provides low-income homeowners with critical home repairs, will join together with its affiliate, Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio, to lead its sixth annual Building a Healthy Neighborhood community revitalization project in Cleveland, Ohio. The effort, supported by lead partner Lowe’s and its Lowe’s Heroes employee volunteers, will be held Sept. 23-24, 2016 in Slavic Village, a historic neighborhood on the southeast side of Cleveland. The effort is expected to provide nearly $700,000 in market value back to the community.

A historic working-class neighborhood, Slavic Village experienced more home foreclosures than any other part of the country in the second quarter of 2007, resulting in large pockets of vacant and dilapidated homes. With 95 percent of homes in Slavic Village currently valued at less than $100,000, work completed during the event will stabilize property values and allow long-time residents to remain in their homes.

Nearly 600 community and corporate partner volunteers will join together to provide critical repairs to more than 10 homes and revitalize The Haven, a community space serving residents of Slavic Village. The majority of homeowners impacted are longtime members of the Slavic Village community and range in need of support. Over the two days, volunteers will participate in a variety of projects including flooring repairs and replacement, electric and plumbing repairs, roof and handrail replacements, accessibility modifications, painting, landscaping, and other major home rehabilitations.

"Slavic Village is in the midst of its recovery, attracting both private and public investment," said Chris Alvarado, Executive Director of Slavic Village Development, a nonprofit organization serving the community for over 30 years. "Rebuilding Together's efforts will allow long term residents to remain in their homes and preserve the history and heritage of our neighborhood so we can welcome and retain new neighbors."

Building a Healthy Neighborhood exemplifies the efforts central to the mission of Rebuilding Together, helping to solve the urgent need for a safe and healthy home for every person. Recognizing that unsafe or unhealthy living conditions at home account for many of the leading causes of preventable fatality, illness and disability, today – this annual effort demonstrates the positive effects of home and neighborhood revitalization on the overall health of homeowners, families and communities, and has given back more than $3.25 million in market value nationwide, to-date.

“Slavic Village has been through very difficult times in recent years but thanks to the resilience of long-term residents, this historic neighborhood is starting to see positive changes,” said Caroline Blakely, President and CEO of Rebuilding Together. "We will complement existing revitalization efforts to ensure the neighborhood becomes and remains a healthier, thriving community."

This effort is made possible through the support of the event’s national and local partners, including presenting partner Lowe’s, as well as Charter Communications/Spectrum (through its Charter our Community initiative), CBRE, HGTV, Aleris, the Ohio Roofing Contractors Association and the Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress.  

In addition to providing critical repairs to several homes, Lowe’s Heroes will help remodel The Haven, a community center providing assistance and housing to single mothers. Lowe's Heroes will also lead a "Front Door Friday" initiative on Friday, September 23, 2016 and repaint many front doors to homes throughout the neighborhood, increasing the event's impact on the community.  

“Ongoing maintenance and making critical home repairs are important steps to ensuring a safe environment to build a quality life,” said James Frison, Lowe’s director of community relations. “We are excited to partner with Rebuilding Together to help strengthen the economic health of the Slavic Village neighborhood and build community pride among its residents.”

For more information about Building a Healthy Neighborhood, please visit rebuildingtogether.org/building-healthy-neighborhood and follow #RebuildSlavicVillage on Twitter.