Getting your player ready...
Being disabled is hard enough without struggling to pass through doorways, or get in the shower, or reach the cupboards. But some families with physical disabilities and financial need have been able to live independently in their own homes thanks to the volunteer efforts of the Denver homebuilding community and specifically The Home Builders Foundation of Metro Denver (HBF).
Over the years the Foundation and its volunteers have built ramps, widened doorways and made bathrooms, bedrooms and kitchens accessible. The Foundation gets donations from companies for building materials and supplies and relies on home building volunteers for the all-important labor to get the jobs done.
Thus far in 2012, the HBF has completed 26 projects and has another 11 in progress. At this rate, the HBF expects to complete more than 40 projects before the close of the year.
Mike Tayloe, president of the Home Builders Foundation, said, “Projects have ranged from teens and adults paralyzed from accidents, or individuals who’ve experienced the onset of a debilitating condition that suddenly changes their lives.
“Imagine being in a wheelchair and trying to live in your own home where the doorways are too small to pass through, or you can’t reach the cupboards, or use your own bathroom. These are just some of the challenges we find and with our network of volunteers to our best to help people overcome.”
In 1993, the members of the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver decided they wanted to give back to the community. Through their ideas and efforts the Foundation was born to assist families in need with home modifications. Many of the early recipients were victims of crime or circumstance. Some of the early recipients included victims of the Columbine High School shootings in 1999.
Then in 2008, the HBF Board of Directors directed its mission to provide accessibility solutions and home modifications for individuals with disabilities and financial need through the collaborated efforts of the building industry.
The board established four criteria to determine who is eligible to receive assistance. They are: (1) an accessibility need; (2) a financial need; (3) the home is owned (either by the recipient or an immediate family member); and (4) the home is located in the 8-county Denver metro area (Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Elbert and Jefferson).
Last year, for every $1 granted to a project, the Foundation was able to provide about $9.55 in retail value to the people it served. This is possible because so much of the construction materials and labor was donated or discounted by the Foundation’s partners and volunteers. In the past six years, the Foundation completed 200 projects and helped hundreds of individuals and families with disabilities and financial need.
For more information about how to receive a Foundation grant, or to volunteer with materials, supplies and labor, see www.hbfdenver.com, or call 303-551-6721.
For more information, call 303-778-1400 or visit HBADenver.com.
