Project: Homes seeking to help Ashland residents with needed home repairs

ROSLYN RYAN Richmond Suburban News

For those who struggle to afford needed home repairs, simply staying warm through the winter months or safely accessing their homes can be a daunting challenge. If the homeowner is living with a disability, the situation can be even more overwhelming.

Fortunately, as Project: Homes’ Rishonda Anthony explained in a presentation during the Feb. 7 Ashland Town Council meeting, there are resources available to help meet those needs for Ashland residents.

Anthony, who serves as the Richmond-based nonprofit’s director of client services, told council members that her organization has spent the last three decades working to provide the kind of services that allow elderly, disabled and low-income residents remain safely in their homes.

What began as a division of Senior Connections, a nonprofit focused on helping area seniors, would eventu- ally, thanks in part to a federal grant, become a thriving organization of its own.

“Our mission is to improve lives by improving homes,” Anthony explained, as well as to help challenge misconceptions about what defines affordable housing. To that end, the organization’s 50-member staff works to coordinate a wide range of services including electrical and plumbing repairs, roof repair and replacement, and wheelchair ramp installation.

In addition to home re- pairs, the group also works to renovate and resell dilapidated properties and connect families with housing opportunities in Bermuda Estates, a Chesterfield mobile home park purchased by Project: Homes in 2020.

While the organization was not immune to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and had to make significant operational adjustments, Project: Homes has continued to push ahead. The group was able to serve around 2,500 households in the Richmond area last year, Anthony said, and they are looking to serve eight to 12 Ashland residents this year.

“Our vision is to be a leader in housing solutions that enable individuals and families to live full, independent lives in safe and healthy homes, neighborhoods and communities,” Anthony said.

She added that sometimes homes may not look from the outside as though they have been improved—even though Project: Homes does do yard clearing and exte- rior painting when the need arises—but residents still benefit greatly from interior repairs and energy efficiency upgrades.

As Ashland mayor Steve Trivett noted after Anthony’s presentation, the group’s work is undoubtedly making a critical difference in the lives of those it serves.

“While it may not look new and improved from the outside, if you’re living in substandard conditions it looks glorious on the inside,” he said.

Upcoming Programs At Mechanicsville Libraries

Atlee Branch Library

Call 804-559-0654 or visit the library at 9212 Rutlandshire Drive for more information.

Mother Goose storytime at the atlee b ranch Library. Wednesday, Feb. 22, March 1, 8, 15 and 22, 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. Tuesdays, Feb. 28, March 7, 14, 21 and 28, 10:30 — 11 a.m. Mother Goose is a storytime for children age 6 to 24 months and their caregivers. Have fun with nursery rhymes, singing and reading.

have the heart to throw away? Or maybe you have a book with a lot of sentimental value that deserves a display of its own? Whether an old book or new, this project has only 40 pages of folding to create a beautiful heart to display on any shelf!

topics from Virginia Cooperative extension’s Master Gardeners. This session’s topic is “Tips for Preventing disease in Hydrangeas.”