Progress as of Nov. 23

To date, repair crews have installed new plumping and the central heating system in the home. Repairs remaining include re-wiring electricity, installing new floors, walls, and kitchen cabinets.

New Request: A Bed

You may have noticed in the pictures below that the project includes repairs in the bedroom of the home. It has come to our attention that the homeowner very much could use a double or twin-sized bed. Also needed is an accompanying box spring, frame, and headboard. Please contact our office at 704-892-4486 if you have a new or gently used twin bed to donate. We will handle pickup from your home and delivery to the site. Your donation is tax-deductible. Thanks!

How can I help?

As previously stated, this project has been made possible by the generous donations of local businesses, especially that of Saussy Burbank and JCB Urban. Without the initiatve taken by these firms, HAMMERS would not have the means to finance the extensive repairs needed for this home.

Though this particular project has the backing required for completion, individuals can and do regularly make a great difference for the work of the HAMMERS program. Homeowners who apply and qualify for a home repair do have assistance in the form of non-interest loans to the homeowner for the repairs made. Depending on the client's income and debt, he or she may or may not be placed on a payment plan. Payment plans will not exceed 36 months or $2,000, whichever comes first. These payments go directly towards the cost of materials used on a home.

HAMMERS covers the costs of professional labor and, for clients who earn less than 30% of the area median income, the costs of materials used on the repair. In turn, HAMMERS relies on the support of individuals, businesses, churches, and foundations to provide volunteer services, in-kind donations, and monetary support. A donation of any size, starting with just $5 to pay for five pieces of lumber, contributes to future repairs and the health and safety of our neighbors.

If you would like to make a donation to HAMMERS, please visit our website. Your donation is tax deductible.

Progress as of Nov. 13

Some Project Before Pictures

2008 HAMMERS' Holiday Home Repair

This year's repair actually marks our second annual. Please read on for a synopsis of last year's Holiday Home Repair, written by Bill Giduz, Director of Media Relations at Davidson College.

Even as we begin, some thanks:

Thanks to Total Bond Veterinary Hospital
The local veterinary clinic, Total Bond at Davidson, is boarding the homeowner's two cats for the duration of the repairs. The cats will receive any necessary shots and the wonderful treatment the friendly staff always provide. Thanks to Total Bond Veterinary Hospital for allowing the homeowner to know his friends are in good hands while their home undergoes repairs!

Click here for more information on the Total Bond Veterinary Hospital in Davidson.

Thanks to Life Fellowship Church
On-site work officially began on Saturday, November 7 when volunteers from Life Fellowship Church in Huntersville met HAMMERS Supervisor Zach Jakob at the work site to remove furniture and belongings from the hiome. The volunteers made quick work of the task, carefully bringing nearly all removable materials out of the house. The items will remain in a secure storage unit until completion of repairs, when all items will be transferred back to the home. Thanks to the members of Life Fellowship for donating their time and effort to allow the repairs to begin!

Click here for more information on Life Fellowship Church.

Thanks to JCB Urban and Saussy Burbank
The two homebuilding companies have generously donated their time, staff, and resources to fund and execute the 2008 and this year's HAMMERS Holiday Home Repair. On its website, JCB Urban describes itself as "a unique Charlotte home builder specializing in innovative housing options that complement the surrounding neighborhoods. We are committed to building affordable homes with quality craftsmanship and distinctive architectural details." JCB Urban builds in Davidson and Belmont NC.

Click here for more information on JCB Urban.

Developer Saussy Burbank builds homes in communities in and surrounding Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina and Charleston, South Carolina. A leading homebuilder in the southeast, to date, Saussy Burbank has built over 5000 new homes.

Click here for more information on Saussy Burbank.

In all, HAMMERS is incredibly fortunate to team with such experienced and conscientious partners in the housing industry.

HAMMERS, Davidson Housing Coalition's emergency home repair program, opens this blog to track the progress of a particularly special home repair project. HAMMERS has teamed with local companies JCB Urban and Saussy Burbank to conduct significant repairs of a home in Davidson, which, without these businesses' contributions, the program would not have the means to address.

Please take a moment to learn more about this undertaking. Updates will be made daily.

To begin, the following provides background on HAMMERS. In 2005, DHC launched the HAMMERS program in partnership with Davidson College to address a growing concern about the prevalence of substandard housing in the Lake Norman region. HAMMERS, Hands Around Mecklenburg/Mooresville Making Emergency Repairs Safely, provides emergency repars on homes of low-income homeowners living in the towns of Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, and Mooresville. Priorities for repair services are people with special needs such as the elderly, disabled, single parents, or households with five or more inhabitants including children. REgular emergency repairs including building wheelchair ramps, repairing fotten flooring or ceilings, and patching or re-roofing a home.

To qualify, homeowners must earn less than 80% of the area median income, approximately $53,200 for a family of four in Mecklenburg County or $47,900 for a family of four in Iredell County. These income restrictions are based on the 2009 HOusing and Urban Development Income Guidelines for Mecklenburg and Iredell Counties. As a whole, HAMMERS aims to preserve existing affordable housing through the completion of such emergency home repairs.