Coalition for Home Repair Names 2024 National Partners of Excellence

National Partners of Excellence are honored by the Coalition for Home Repair for their financial gifts, volunteerism, advocacy, and/or outstanding leadership with a local Coalition member. Partners are nominated by members. Partners of Excellence are part of the Pinnacle Awards, prestigious awards honoring various stakeholders who have demonstrated excellence and commitment to home preservation. 

2024 Partnership Excellence Honorees

South Carolina Appalachian Council of Governments

2024 Partner of the Year 

Nominated by Rebuild Upstate

South Carolina Appalachian Council of Governments and Tim Womack, Aging Services Director, demonstrate partnership excellence through the partnership of an Area Agency on Aging with a home repair program. In 10 years of partnership, $1.92M has been invested in home repairs and modifications, spent collaboratively with home repair nonprofits. Through the years, this funding has enabled Rebuild Upstate to engage with almost 9,000 volunteers who served over 80,000 hours, increasing civic engagement, awareness of Rebuild Upstate’s work, and general awareness of home preservation needs and aging issues within its communities.

The Rebuild Upstate/SCACOG partnership is unique in the State of South Carolina with SCACOG being the only regional council working exclusively with a nonprofit minor home repair provider. As a result, Mr. Womack frequently shares at the state level about the work accomplished together. This led to a meeting with Columbia-based administrators interested in learning more about how the partnership works to evaluate how it might be replicated in other areas of the state. His support and leadership have played a significant role in the success of Rebuild Upstate, the engagement of volunteers, and the area of home preservation for older adults.

Swinerton

Nominated by Rebuilding Together of Silicon Valley

Swinerton has had a longstanding and historical commitment to the preservation of affordable 
housing and actionable volunteerism through partnerships with Rebuilding Together. Across the Bay Area in California, Swinerton employees and offices have been steadfast and dedicated volunteers, fiscal supporters, industry connectors and active Board and Committee members to each of the local Rebuilding Together affiliates. Member Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley has been a fortunate recipient of Swinerton’s generosity of time, talent, and treasure both through Swinerton Builders, the for-profit company, and through the Swinerton Foundation, their philanthropic arm.  

Prairie View Industries (PVI Ramps)

Nominated by Habitat for Humanity of Wisconsin River Area

PVI Ramps offered Habitat for Humanity affiliates throughout the nation access to purchasing their
products at significantly reduced pricing tiers, allowing organizations to install quality, affordable ramps for everyone in need, regardless of their income (or lack of). Their nominating organization shared, "Their ramps are well-designed and easy to assemble, saving valuable labor time for our nonprofit organization. But their partnership goes far beyond providing an affordable solution to meet our community’s needs. Their sales manager Brian Denton has made multiple trips to our area to provide training and support for safe installation of their products, and he has incorporated feedback from our team and our clients in their development of new and improved products as well."

Home Repair Coalition of Greater Kansas City (HMC-GKC)

Nominated by HopeBUILDERS Home Repair

HMC-GKC is a collaborative group of home repair providers. Since establishing, it has produced stronger relationships between organizations, a better collective knowledge of what each organization does, a better structure for collaboration, referrals, and potentially layering services for clients as appropriate, and selective support for other services beyond home repairs.

Lisa Feret

Nominated by Brothers Redevelopment

Elected to the Arvada City Council in November 2021, Lisa Feret has tirelessly worked to build stronger
connections and foster engagement between residents and the city. Her focus has been on addressing
critical issues such as housing and multi-modal transportation. In her first year on the council, Lisa's
most notable achievement was the establishment of a formal housing committee in 2022, a testament
to her commitment to improving housing policies and initiatives in Arvada. Lisa has been instrumental in advocating for and securing aging in place program funds.

Lisa Feret's unwavering dedication to improving housing, supporting older adults, and fostering
community engagement, along with her impactful collaboration with Brothers Redevelopment, Inc.,
makes her an outstanding candidate for the Advocate of Excellence Award. Her leadership, vision, and
compassionate service has had a profound impact on the lives of Arvada residents, embodying the very
essence of excellence in advocacy.

Steve Hoffacker, CAPS

Nominated by Coalition for Home Repair Staff

As a Certified Aging in Place Specialist trainer, Steve has led more than 50 Coalition member home repair program professionals through CAPS certification training. Steve's passion for aging in place programs is evident through his commitment to partnership. 

Gail Schechter with H.O.M.E

Nominated by Coalition for Home Repair Staff

Gail Schechter is the Executive Director at Housing Opportunities and Maintenance for the Elderly (H.O.M.E) in Chicago, Illinois. Gail has worked tirelessly in the housing justice arena, most recently being the lead convenor of the Fix Our Homes Illinois campaign, whose mission is to secure more public funding and resources for home repairs in Chicago, ensuring that every senior can age at home with safety, comfort, and dignity. Gail's positivity and determination for a more just future, have brought several organizations together across Illinois and beyond. The Coalition for Home Repair is honored to be part of this campaign and looks forward to witnessing the lasting positive impacts of Gail's leadership and the Fix our Homes campaign into the lives of low-income seniors in Illinois.