Meet Clarke

Have you met Clarke? Clarke is a volunteer who is helping primarily with our Safe at Home program. Born and raised in Chicago, Clarke moved to Minneapolis in 2017. She recently graduated from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities with a Bachelor of Arts in History with Minors in French Studies and Chemistry. Clarke loves fun facts, sewing, making playlists, going for walks outside with friends (when it’s not -5 degrees out), and cozying up with a good book or movie and her cat CC at home. She has been an active volunteer in her community for more than 10 years and really values helping where she can from tutoring after school to distributing PPE to seniors and packing produce boxes at a local food bank. She said, “I am very excited to have started volunteering with Rebuilding Together to help people live safer and more fulfilled lives in their homes!” We are thrilled to have Clarke on our team!

2020 Highlights

2020 was quite a year!  Despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to continue to serve our community and address the growing housing needs, thanks to the support of people like you and the hard work of our volunteers!

We temporarily suspended our work in Spring 2020 to allow time to develop and implement safety protocols.  We developed a comprehensive set of safety precautions for staff, contractors, volunteers, and homeowners that incorporate information provided by OSHA, CDC, and our [Re]start initiative with Rebuilding Together’s National Office.

We are proud to share that our team:

  • Provided accessibility modifications at 19 homes through our Safe at Home program.
  • Made critical repairs to 49 homes through our Home Repair program, including 34 roof projects.
  • Made improvements and repairs to two nonprofit facilities and community spaces.
  • Launched our Construction Workforce Development Collaborative with a cohort of six youth from diverse backgrounds who completed 10 of our Home Repair projects.
  • Initiated a collaborative effort with HandsOn Twin Cities, Tree Trust, and Heart of America to help areas affected by recent civil unrest recover – Twin Cities Community Rebuilding Coalition.
  • Safely engaged more than 21 volunteers who gave approximately 2,156 hours of their time.

Our work had a direct and positive impact on 213 residents in our community. For example, we helped Noy in East St. Paul, who had a stroke and needs a wheelchair for emergencies, medical appointments, safe transportation, etc.  One of our volunteer Ramp Teams constructed a ramp for Noy, making it possible for her to remain in her own home.  This project has also alleviated stress for Noy’s family who is responsible for getting her in and out of her home for medical and other appointments.

A safe, functioning home is the basis for our quality of life. It sets us up for success with our family and our jobs and allows our communities to thrive. It strengthens us, keeps us healthy, gives us peace of mind and allows us to live our best lives. And, as the COVID-19 crisis showed us, being able to stay at home gives us the means to remain safe, impacting both our own health and well-being, and also the health and well-being of the entire community. We are very grateful for your support of our efforts to ensure that everyone in our community has a safe and healthy place to call home!