New Directions Is in the Business of Opening Doors for Everyone - Literally .
Building sustainable lives through sustainable housing , New Directions started over 50 years ago in a small Catholic Church in the West End of Louisville , Kentucky . Today , the organization owns 912 apartment units for low income individuals and families , the majority being single mother families or elderly and disabled individuals ..
“ That ’ s really where we do the bulk of the work , in our multifamily communities ,” said Max Monahan , director of home repair . “ We have a department called Resident Services that helps to provide wraparound services to our tenants . We help them with job skills , training , transportation , childcare , basically all sorts of barriers that prevent somebody from getting out of affordable housing and into market rate rental or home ownership .”
New Directions ’ Repair Affair Program does free home repair for many individuals , including legacy homeowners , or individuals and families who have owned their homes for 20 to 40 years . “ Most of the time , it ’ s an elderly widow who is living by herself , usually on nothing but social security . For people in those situations , it ’ s hard for them to sell on a larger scale ,” said Monahan . “ It ’ s important to help them because they are the ones who particularly become victims of displacement when neighborhoods go through revitalization . What our free home repair programs do is make sure those homeowners can stay in their homes , that the homes are safe , accessible , secure , and visually appealing .”
New Directions ’ efforts to repair and revitalize homes encourages individuals to stay in their homes longer , allowing them to pass them along to the next generation and build wealth . This is particularly important in black communities who , over the last 80 years , have not really been afforded those opportunities to build family wealth through homeownership .
The Repair Affair Program is helping to make the American Dream of owning a home a reality for many people . “ We want people to be a part of the neighborhood revitalization process ; we don ’ t want them to be a victim of the neighborhood revitalization process ,” Monahan passionately stated .
Repairs can include anything from simple yard work or painting , all the way up to roofs , window repairs , and furnace work . Since the program ’ s beginning in 1993 , they have helped revitalize 4,334 homes in Louisville and Southern Indiana with more than 45,000 volunteers . Monahan explained that volunteers come from all walks of life , including churches , businesses , banks , large organizations , and many civic groups . “ We ’ ll have retired guys who can do all the handyman repairs you can think of , to large church groups with their 50 - 60 volunteers .”
Repair Affair is always accepting volunteers for home repair projects . Monahan , who began volunteering for the organization before he was employed there , has a special place in his heart for volunteer work . “ I remember the day I left my first volunteer job . I just had a good intrinsic feeling of ‘ wow , we really helped that homeowner .’ By the end of the day , sometimes the homeowner is crying on your shoulder because it ’ s the greatest thing that has ever happened to them . They don ’ t have to worry about being cited or losing their homes . It ’ s a way for individuals to care for the matriarchs and patriarchs of their neighborhood while also building pride in their communities .”
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