Emergency Home Repair Project gets a new home

Milford Housing Development Corporation officially became stewards of Delaware's highly respected Emergency Home Repair Project Nov. 1. Since the early 1990s, the First State Resource Conservation & Development Council Inc. had run the project. However, with cutbacks in funding looming, First State RC&D Council transferred the Emergency Home Repair Project, along with its five staff members, to MHDC. The move allows First State RC&D to focus its efforts on conservation-related activities, while also ensuring the longevity of the Emergency Home Repair Project.

In 1991, First State RC&D began operating the Emergency Home Repair Project to eliminate immediate threats to life, health and safety in the homes of lower-income households in Delaware. Since then, the project has grown from a part-time volunteer effort to a full-time, year-round effort of volunteers and staff. During 2010, the program completed repairs on roughly 300 homes in Delaware with the assistance of project volunteers who donated over 8,300 hours. Roughly half of all those served by the program were of minority status and 65 percent of all homes repaired were owned by senior citizens and/or people with disabilities.

When the move became official on Nov. 1, David Moore, MHDC president/CEO, said, "It gives me great pleasure to announce MHDC as the new stewards of the Home Repair Project. We are honored by the council's decision to transfer the project to MHDC and we are committed to preserving this vital community asset. The hard work and dedication of the First State RC&D Council in providing this crucial project cannot be understated. It is our hope that MHDC will continue to build on the project's successes as well as enhancing its capacity to help those in need. On behalf of MHDC, our board of directors, and our staff, we are grateful to be able to provide comprehensive affordable housing solutions to Delaware."

In the 1960s, Congress created the Resource Conservation and Development program to address rural poverty and help rural communities generate sustainable national resource-based economies. The RC&D approach is to engage local people and organizations to collaboratively solve community problems through a series of locally driven projects. In 1971, the First State Resource Conservation & Development Area was designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the council was officially formed.

MHDC is a mission-driven housing developer with a sensible approach in a caring environment for people of modest means. Founded in 1977, MHDC is the premier nonprofit developer and owner of affordable for-sale and rental housing opportunities in Delaware. Known for its open-minded approach, commitment to quality, and a caring and sound passion for client and staff alike, MHDC provides transitional housing, rental housing, homeownership opportunities, and home rehabilitation services as well.

For more information on the Home Repair Project or MHDC go to milfordhousing.com or call 302-422-8255.