The United Way of Washington County Housing Initiative (UWHI) is gearing up for another great day of making home repairs for those in need of assistance.
The mission of the UWHI is to offer voluntary assistance for minor exterior repairs to a limited number of homes owned by low-income senior citizens. Each year, homes are selected by the volunteer committee and this year, six were selected.
United Way Executive Director Jennifer Russell said after their May 4 work day was postponed due to rainy weather, they are ready to get to work Saturday, June 1.
The six homes selected to have repairs made are located on Winters Road, Alexander Street, Chatham Drive, Willow Drive, Hyman Street, Persimmon Street and Mobile Drive.
“The United Way Housing Initiative has a very long history of making repairs to homes going all the way back to 1980s. This work has continued because of the dedication of the volunteer teams some of which have been a part of this program since the very beginning! This program for many years was “one of a kind” in our community and we are proud of our history of uplifting homes in Washington County and giving homeowners a sense of pride in knowing their home has “curb appeal” once again,” Russell said.
The volunteers for this week’s home repairs come from USG Interiors, Young Construction, Entergy, 100 Black Men of the Mississippi Delta, Atmos, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the Washington County Drug Court.
Last week, volunteers with the Greenville Fire Department and Kappa Alpha PSI completed some much-needed work to two homes on Oktibbeha and Moore Street.
Oktibbeha Street homeowner Delores Moore said the Greenville Fire Department did a phenomenal job painting the outside of her home.
“All I can say is ‘Thank you, Jesus,’” the 65-year-old widow said.
Moore said the fire department crew worked hard from the early morning hours until late in the day to ensure her home looked good.
Moore said her husband died 14 years ago and it had been more than 10 years since her home needed a new paint job. Living on oxygen with COPD and asthma, Moore said it was impossible for her to face the task of giving her home the much-needed facelift.
“I’m so elated, they were truly a blessing,” she said. “There’s no way I’d have been able to do all that hard work by myself."
There are 10 agencies currently being funded by the UWWC, including the North Mississippi Chapter of the American Red Cross (Greenville Chapter), Girl Scouts Heart of the South, Our House Inc., United Way Housing Initiative, Greenville Renaissance Scholars, The Community Counseling Center, Boys & Girls Club of Washington County, Leland Habitat for Humanity, Hodding Carter Memorial YMCA and the Delta Regional Medical Center Medication Assistance Program.
Russell said there will be a total of 15 homes with repairs made to them this year thanks to the generous donors of the United Way of Washington County’s Annual Campaign and the continued support of the King's Daughters & Sons Circle No. 2 and their volunteer team members.
“We have volunteers working to make repairs to homes in Greenville, Hollandale, Winterville and Leland this year," Russell said. "Our goal has always been to reach out beyond Greenville and we were very successful at recruiting volunteers in both Leland and Hollandale, who immediately stepped up to the plate to form teams to ensure their communities were included in the United Way Housing Initiative Workday."
For more information, contact 662-332-5371, unitedwaywc.com or visit its Facebook and Twitter pages.
