An enthusiastic team of volunteers gathered at a Dartmouth home in mid-October to paint the house’s shingled exterior and help an older woman continue to live there.
About 25 people came together through the help of four local agencies, all coordinated through Buzzards Bay Habitat for Humanity. Projects like these are managed through Habitat for Humanity’s Brush with Kindness program, said the organization’s executive director, Christine Lacourse.
A core group of volunteers had already washed and sanded the exterior of the home in advance of the painters arriving on this sunny Saturday morning, according to Lacourse.
“It was prepped for today and they’re going to be adding the trim paint and the stain as you can see,” she said, referring to the people working on the home.
The group was a good-sized one for the project, Lacourse said, because of the partnerships involved. In addition to Habitat for Humanity, Coastal Neighbors Network participated, as did the Congregational Church of South Dartmouth. Coastline Elderly Services, also represented, helped fund the project, paying for all of the materials being used, Lacourse said.
Building homes is Habitat for Humanity’s primary focus and the organization recently completed a duplex in Westport. It has also built homes in Marion, Mattapoisett and Wareham, Lacourse said.
“When we’re not building, we’re able to concentrate on this (type of project) a little bit more. This year, this is our third Brush with Kindness project and we’ve installed four (home) ramps so far,” she said. “The need is so great, we just do what we can do. That’s why we make sure it’s for low income. We make sure there is a critical need.”
In this case, Lacourse said, the critical need was the risk of losing insurance because of the house’s condition.
“The homeowner actually was going to lose her house insurance if she didn’t paint her home, so we stepped in to help her with that,” she said. “So it fits perfectly.”
Many of the program applicants they’re seeing are older, Lacourse noted.
“Elderly and disabled are what we’re finding so far,” she said.
Coastal Neighbors Network director Andy Pollock, who was helping out at the home, said Pam, the home resident, is a CNN member. She is in her 70s and is a widow, he said. When she needed help redoing the home’s aging exterior, she reached out to Pollock who recommended applying for the Bush with Kindness project.
CNN is a membership group that functions as a virtual village for older adults, helping them continue to live in their communities as they age.
“This is what a village does,” Pollock said. “It pulls together when someone is in need.”
For those looking to volunteer or who need assistance, email Buzzards Bay Habitat for Humanity at buzzardsbayareahabitat@yahoo.com or call (508) 758-4517. There is an application process to complete to be considered for the program.
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