Recognizing and Honoring Rebuilding Together Philadelphia.

WHEREAS,

In 1988, University of Pennsylvania graduate students and physical plant employees founded Rebuilding Together Philadelphia (“RTP”)(formerly know as Christmas in April of Philadelphia) as the independent local affiliate of Rebuilding Together, Inc., one of the nation's leading nonprofit organizations working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize communities by providing free home rehabilitation and critical repairs to those in need; and

WHEREAS,

The work of Rebuilding Together is executed through an affiliate network of more than 200 entities using thousands of volunteer hours each year that help improve 10,000 houses each year and the majority of RTP volunteers' rebuilding efforts are concentrated into neighborhood block builds where work is done, en mass, to over 15 homes at a time, often anchored by a community organization also receiving RTP repair work; and

WHEREAS,

The mission of RTP is to partner with the community to preserve affordable housing and prevent homelessness by rehabilitating, for free, the homes of elderly, disabled, and low-income homeowners so that they may continue to live in warmth, safety, and independence and, as of June 2009, over 25,000 RTP volunteers donated over 349,000 hours to make essential repairs to 876 homes and 40 community agencies, providing repairs worth over $19 million dollars; and

WHEREAS,

In March 2009, RTP teamed up with the local tri-state Pepsi Bottling Group and the Logan CDC to renovate an empty row house into the Carlton Simmons Community Technology Center which serves as a satellite office of the Logan NAC and where Logan residents can host meetings, receive services, and have access, free of charge, to computers and the Internet; and

WHEREAS,

On November 11th at 8:00 p.m., RTP will be profiled on House and Garden Television (“HGTV”) on its

Change the World: American Heroes

program for its work in the complete transformation of a Frankford home for homeless veterans in transition run by The Pennsylvania American Legion Housing for Homeless Veterans Corporation and HGTV film crews captured 176 RTP volunteers and 67 skilled trade volunteers lending more than 2,600 combined hours of their time for this project; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA,

That we hereby recognize and honor Rebuilding Together Philadelphia for their work in preserving affordable housing and preventing homelessness in Philadelphia.

FURTHER RESOLVED

, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to representatives of Rebuilding Together Philadelphia as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.

End

Councilwoman Marian B. Tasco

October 8, 2009