A Decade of Building Stronger Communities with Wells Fargo

Rebuilding Together and Wells Fargo share a commitment to affordable housing and improving communities. Our collaboration, which began a decade ago, puts that commitment into action through long-term place-based investment and locally led solutions.

In that time, Wells Fargo has donated more than $17 million to Rebuilding Together and its affiliates to support rebuilding and revitalization efforts in communities nationwide. In partnership with our local affiliates and neighbors, we’re making essential home repairs at no cost. These safety improvements and accessibility modifications help transform the lives of veterans, older adults, people with disabilities, families, victims of disaster and others in need, so they can remain comfortable in their homes and communities.

Over the past year, through the Wells Fargo Builds® program, we provided grants to dozens of Rebuilding Together affiliates, enabling locally driven home repair projects while advancing shared goals around housing stability and neighborhood resilience. For many projects, Wells Fargo employees volunteered to assist with the repairs and modifications. 

For example, in Austin, Texas, the grant supported home repairs for Linda and her daughter who cares for her. Recent storms caused a large tree limb to fall on her roof. Thanks to the grant, Rebuilding Together Austin-San Antonio hired contractors to remove the fallen tree limb and replace the damaged section of roof. The project didn’t end there. Wells Fargo volunteers cleaned up the yard and made other exterior improvements. The repairs will help Linda, who has a disability and has been in and out of the hospital, feel more secure and stable in her long-time family home making it easier to age-in-place.

Our work together goes beyond home repairs, with Wells Fargo supporting Rebuilding Together’s mission in other ways over the years. Wells Fargo supported our Heirs' Property Initiative to help families address tangled titles, a situation in which land or property is passed down generation to generation informally, complicating proof of ownership and blocking access to repair assistance resources. 

This type of innovative approach is one reason Wells Fargo supported our recent Summit, an annual gathering of the Rebuilding Together network. Our affiliates learn from one another, sharing transformative programs, best practices and ideas. Wells Fargo’s Chris Adame, lead community impact and sustainability specialist, co-presented with our affiliate from Berkeley, California, to share an innovative model. Rebuilding Together East Bay Network is building and selling accessory dwelling units through its Big Skills program. This creative initiative incorporates skills training for high school students and adults, increases affordable housing supply and produces revenue for the affiliate. Wells Fargo’s support has been key to expanding Big Skills from one to multiple sites, reflecting its commitment to affordable housing and workforce development. Wells Fargo employees even volunteer with the students. 

By bringing together neighbors, volunteers and long-term partners like Wells Fargo, we’re strengthening local capacity, making home safety repairs that provide families with a sense of comfort and stability and helping communities thrive for generations.