Two local organizations teaming up to rebuild homes
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Midland, MI (WNEM) — The Sanford and Edenville Dams breaching caused destruction for hundreds of families. Some families are still picking up the pieces.
Eight months removed from the spring’s damaging floods and home revitalization efforts are still taking shape with help from Midland County’s Habitat for Humanity and United Way.
“This is one of the many reasons why we decided to join our forces and collaborate and serve our communities,” Jennifer Chappel, President and CEO of the Midland County Habitat for Humanity said.
“Collaboration is really how we’re going to get these things done. Partnering with our folks at habitat is just a wonderful gift to our community,” Holly Miller, President and CEO of the United Way of Midland County said.
Due to COVID-19 guidelines, the organizations changed how they operate. They decided to join forces creating the rebuild together partnership.
“We recognized that this could really be an innovative partnership to create real change in our community. We started envisioning this long before we started putting up drywall and long before we started serving homeowners,” Miller said.
Volunteers are in the process of rebuilding one of the two current homes “rebuild together” is working on.
“We’re actually engaging our first volunteer group and they’re going to start priming and painting the interior of the home,” Chappel said.
The homeowner has been staying in a trailer for the time being. They expect her to move back into her fully renovated house by the end of February.
“We did get her into temporary housing. She’s just excited to come home. It’s just one more step in the survival process of the flood,” Miller said.
The partnership aspires to rebuild 40 homes in total.
“Certainly, recovery efforts take time and they are complex. The homeowner’s needs are complex. So, we still aspire to serve every family impacted by the flood anyway we can until all those needs are met,” Chappel said.
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