Why are Rebuilding Together services needed?
There are 22 million low-income homeowners in the United States, and that number is expected to increase to more than 28.5 million in the next 10 years. Nearly 10 million of these homeowners spend more than 30% of their income on housing. There are 4.5 million lower-income owners who are elderly people living alone, and 80% of those are women. There are 3.7 million lower-income households with a disabled person; nearly two-thirds of whom are elderly as well. Clearly an enormous segment of the population owns their homes, yet cannot afford to or is physically unable to maintain them. With the population of Americans age 65 and older projected to rise from 33 million in 1995 to 62 million in 2025, these numbers will certainly grow. Rebuilding Together and its network of volunteers fill a desperate need, rehabilitating houses and revitalizing neighborhoods.
