STEP Receives Funding For Home Repairs | News

STEP Western North Carolina has announced that it has received another substantial financial grant from Pisgah Health Foundation to bolster the work of its home repair ministry.

STEP Western North Carolina (“Serving Together Empowers People”) is the only non-profit organization based in Transylvania county that helps qualifying homeowners get free repairs to their homes to make them safe and secure, according to a news release. It also operates a very active firewood ministry that delivers split and seasoned wood to qualifying neighbors to help heat their homes in the colder months.

Pisgah Health Foundation is an exceptional, caring and generous organization that is eager to help Transylvania County neighbors have opportunities to focus on their health and wellbeing of themselves and their family members, according to the release. Pisgah Health Foundation’s Home Repair grant application began in early October, and STEP WNC has been awarded $30,000.00 to aid in the Home Repair Ministry. This particular grant will aid in STEP WNCs efforts to repair HVAC systems, home siding and insulation, drainage and water management under and around homes, water heater repair/replacement, exterior door replacements, bathtub retrofittings for accessibility, broken window replacements, driveway grading and gravel to ensure accessibility for homeowners/emergency services, rotted framing and subfloors, ramps for disabled accessibility and weather tightness and winterization of structures.

STEP WNC has been busy doing outside home repairs since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March of 2020. The organization has just recently been able to begin going inside the homes of families who have need of their services. There is a long backlog of work that is needed, and STEP WNC is excited to partner with Pisgah Health Foundation to get neighbors the help they need to keep their homes safe and secure, the release said.

As always, STEP WNC is looking for volunteer leaders to help those in Transylvania, western Henderson and southern Jackson counties have warm, safe and secure housing. STEP WNC is actively searching for a CFO/treasurer, a webmaster and an office manager. To learn more about STEP WNC to see if this could be you or someone you know, contact co-founder and Board Secretary Carolyn Smith at [email protected].

STEP WNC does not repair roofs, foundations of homes or work with hazardous materials like mold, but we have skilled volunteers who are able to build accessibility ramps, repair porches, doors, windows, walls, floors, repair driveways for safe access and much more. STEP WNC is proud to say that the work completed is near-professional quality with high quality materials. When a job is beyond STEP’s resources, STEP WNC actively contracts out the work. STEP follows all safety protocols for building permits in the county of the homeowner’s residence. You can find out more about the organization at www.stepwnc.org.