The Role of Nonprofit Organizations and Public Programs in Promoting Home Rehabilitation and Repair Activity

Abbe Will, Kermit Baker

W13-3: The approximately $300 billion a year private home remodeling and repair market comprises most of the investment for maintaining and improving the nation’s housing stock. Yet many nonprofit organizations and public agencies also serve vital roles, both direct and supportive, in the broader home improvement and repair industry, fulfilling a need that the private sector cannot or does not meet. Indeed, major nonprofit organizations and public funding programs contribute significant support for maintaining and improving the homes of America’s most vulnerable households—including the elderly, disabled, and those with low-incomes—who might not otherwise be physically or financially able to undertake critical home remodeling and repair projects themselves. This study examines several of these national nonprofits, as well as the public funding programs that support their work.