A Tukwila family got some major help recently from Rebuilding Together Seattle so they could feel safe and secure in their home in Duwamish.
Rebuilding Together Seattle marshaled about 30 volunteers from a Windermere Eastlake real estate office in Seattle as part of their Windermere Day of Caring. Windermere donated money and material for the restoration.
Within a day in June, the volunteers did extensive yard work, trimming trees and cleaning out flower beds, to make the home more accessible and more visible from the street. They built a shed in which to park a car. Inside, they replaced a stove, replaced vent hoses, fixed electrical outlets and added handrails in the shower, among other work.
“That is our whole goal is to make sure that all aspects of health and safety are restored,” said Nicole Ferrer, executive director of Rebuilding Together Seattle. “And that’s making sure the home is dry, contaminant-free, pest-free, well-maintained and safe.”
Rebuilding Together was contacted by Larysa Gavrilenko, who had immigrated from Ukraine and bought the house in 1999. She lives there with her daughters, Fidelia and Sophia, who graduated this June as Foster High School’s valedictorian, and a grandmother.
Gavrilenko, who works for the Tukwila School District as an interpreter, told Rebuilding Seattle she wants to stay in her home, but its condition is declining, according to Ferrer. She didn’t have the skills or the resources to do the home repairs on her own.
Rebuilding Together Seattle provides low-income homeowners and nonprofit facilities with critical repairs, modifications and energy-efficient upgrades at no cost to the individuals served throughout the greater Seattle area.
The families the agency serves, said Ferrer, are among those most affected by the lack of affordable housing, including in Tukwila and SeaTac, she said.
“We aim to address this head-on by revitalizing our communities one home at a time,” she said.
Rebuilding Together is a national organization with 160 affiliates across the nation.
Anyone interested in sponsoring a Rebuilding Together Seattle project or serving as a volunteer can contact Caleb Marshall, director of programs, at cmarshall@rtseattle.org or call the office at 206-682-1231.
