Good Neighbors Home Repair

By Marcella Peyre-Ferry Contributing Writer

Good Neighbors Home Repair will mark 30 years of service to the community in 2022. The non-profit organization has a history of being a resource for lowincome residents who need help to remain in their homes. Their mission is to help people be warmer, safer, drier, and healthier. “We do what we call critical infrastructure. We replace and repair roofs, we put in windows or siding, we’ll repair stairs or porches or decks—anything that’s unsafe,” executive director Harold Naylor said. The organization can also replace heating systems, water heaters, plumbing and help catch up with any deferred maintenance. Good Neighbors Home Repair can also add wheelchair ramps, widen doorways, and install handrails and grab bars. “We try to help people stay in their homes,” Naylor said. He noted that the organization does not work on rental properties or make upgrades for anyone who is planning on selling their home. Sometimes the needs are temporary. “We do a lot of aluminum ramps that you can take out once a person recovers or sometimes a person passes away,” Naylor explained. “Then we can redeploy the ramp.” Good Neighbors is currently working on a larger-than-usual project in Oxford. At the Market Street home of Richard and Shantra Rogers, they are creating room for the couple to properly care for their special needs children. Naylor explained that the family adopts and fosters special needs children.

Photo by Jennifer Zduniak, Jennifer Zduniak Design and Photography

Harold Naylor, Executive Director, Good Neighbors Home Repair

At any time, they have 10 to 12 children with a wide range of needs. Some of the children may have learning disabilities while others may be confined to a hospital bed. “They take the kids that nobody else [can take care of]. They love these kids and they feel God has given them a special calling to love on the kids nobody else wants to love,” Naylor said. To help the Rogers family, Good Neighbors is putting an addition on the building for a ground floor handicapped accessible bathroom with storage and a changing area. “In this particular case, we are building an addition—rarely do we do that,” Naylor said. “With some grant money from a very generous family foundation in this area, we are going to end up spending $30,000 on this addition. That’s with a lot of free labor and the homeowner is handy and hands-on. On this particular project we’re using all of our own skilled staff.” When skilled labor is necessary, Good Neighbors Home Repair has a small professional staff, plus they have preferred relationships with contractors and vendors. Even so, in most cases, volunteer labor is a large part of projects. “We utilize between 400 and 500 volunteers a year who contribute anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 hours each year. We couldn’t do the number of homes we do without volunteers,” Naylor explained. Because they have been helping the community so long, people know Good Neighbors Home Repair and may call directly when they need help. The organization also gets referrals from social service agencies, churches and friends. Good Neighbors is a non-denominational Christian ministry. “We’re not connected to any one church, we probably have 40 to 50 churches that are in our network,” Naylor said. “We’re doing this because we love God and we love people. Our goal is to have an impact.” Naylor would like the community to be aware of the organization’s services. He also hopes people will consider making a donations or becoming a volunteer. Skilled and unskilled volunteers are both welcome, particularly those who have the experience to be project managers. “We don’t charge for our repairs so we are completely funded by donations. The more funding we can get, the more people we can help,” Naylor said. “We hear people tell us ‘you loved us when nobody else did,’ I get a chance to put feet on my faith every day.” Good Neighbors Home Repair works in Chester County and northern New Castle County, Delaware.

Good Neighbors Home Repair GoodNeighborsHomeRepair.org 610-444-1860

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