HomeAid National Capital Region

Shelter Projects: HomeAid National Capital Region (HANCR or HomeAid) leverages the relationships and resources of the homebuilding industry to build and renovate housing facilities owned and operated by non-profit service providers. HANCR connects non-profit service providers with homebuilders who generously offer their experience, time and resources to create beautifully renovated spaces or in some cases, build brand new spaces. The shelters served typically include specialized counseling and job training to achieve self-sufficiency along with being able to house those struggling with homelessness. Because the homebuilders are donating their time and materials, the non-profit partners are able to stretch their funds and focus on programs and training rather than on building projects. The renovations range in scope and can include adding storage space and shelving, installing new flooring, painting, improving accessibility into the facilities, updating kitchens and bathrooms and providing furnishings for living spaces. HomeAid's goal is to provide living spaces which improve the physical living situation of the clients as well as add efficiency and safety at a significant cost savings to the non-profit service providers. Thanks to the generosity of our builder captions and trade partners, HomeAid can achieve a cost savings of 30-100% to our shelter partners. In 2021 HomeAid received $535,000 in inkind donations, renovated eight housing facilities and worked with eight homebuilders and nearly 100 trade partners.

Turnover Program: The Turnover program was initiated in 2018 and is designed to help shelter partners quickly prepare units for new tenants by painting and replacing flooring. HomeAid connects with builders and shelter partners for rapid turnover of a space from one tenant to the next. Typically, the shelter partners are participating in a voucher rental assistance program. Once a space is vacant shelter partners can lose the voucher rental assistance they received when the unit was occupied, which is a source of income for the them to support their programs. Having a very specific scope of only flooring and paint, HomeAid can fund the program and pay the trades required to do the work allowing the space to be readied in a short amount of time giving a new family the opportunity to find stability and safety; as well as help the shelter partners maintain the rental assistance they receive. The number of turnovers completed in a year can vary widely as it is dependent on how frequently a space is vacated. HomeAid has completed between 2 and 9 per year since the program began.

Shelter Services: The Shelter Services Program fills in the gaps by providing donations of household goods to recently completed projects. For the last few years HomeAid as implemented an outreach program by having a diaper and baby wipe drive. The diapers and wipes are then delivered to shelters which they then can distribute to clients as necessary. A popular tradition of HomeAid is to provide an event strictly for the enjoyment of the residents of our shelter partners. Currently HomeAid is working with Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts to provide a fun event which includes a box lunch, back pack and a gift card. By providing admission an entertainment event, HomeAid is offering children and families an opportunity to put aside the stress of homelessness, if only for a day.