July 30, 2025 • 30 mins
Community DC Host Dennis Glasgow speaks with Katherine Dixon, who is the CEO for Rebuilding Together DC Alexandira, which is an award-winning, mission-driven organization that creates healthy neighborhoods for residents in Washington, DC and Alexandria, Virginia.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Good morning, and welcome to another edition of Community d C.
I'm your host Dennis Glasgow. This morning, we welcome to
the program for the first time Catherine Dixon, who is
the CEO for Rebuilding Together d C Alexandria, which is
an award winning mission driven organization that creates healthy neighborhoods
for residents in Washington, d C and Alexandria, Virginia. We
cover a lot of ground with Catherine over the next
(00:28):
thirty minutes and learn all the many things that rt
DCA is doing for residents in DC and Alexandria. Here's
my conversation with Catherine. I hope you enjoy it as
much as I did. Good morning, Catherine.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Good morning Dennis.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
How are you. I'm very excited to talk to you
and I'm well, this is the first time we've had
you on in Rebuilding Together and I love what you
and your team do, and I think that our listeners
at Community DC are going to get a really fresh
perspective of some of the amazing things that you your team
are building together and what you are So what I'd
like to do for is talk about what Rebuilding Together
(01:03):
is and then we can talk about the history your
involvement as CEO. I know you've been doing that for
a very long time, along with your team and all
the incredible things that are happening right now in the future.
But tell everybody what we're building together actually is well.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
We and our office is one of about one hundred
across the nation that.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
At our core, we believe everyone deserves a safe and
healthy home. So we provide free home repairs to allow
people to remain in their homes.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
And we do that.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Through licensed contractors, many times skilled volunteers. And the repairs
range from a roof replacement to HVAC to you know, gosh,
my doorbell doesn't work or I need smoke detectors, so
the repairs and replacements run the gamut again try to
(02:00):
ensure that everyone has a safe and healthy home.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
So I mentioned in my open that you've been around
a CEO since two thousand and three, and i'd like
to talk about your journey over the last couple of decades,
about where you started and where Rebuilding Together is today.
But what's the history behind Rebuilding Together? When did actually
everything start? What was the origin of it?
Speaker 3 (02:20):
So, and the timing is interesting because the founder of
what was then named Christmas in April back in nineteen
seventy three recently passed away, so rumor has it. Back
in nineteen seventy three, Bobby.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Tremble asked his.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Group of church class members, you know, hey, my neighbor's
home is in need of repair. Can somebody come out
and help me with the repairs? And so this group
went out and sometime during the day, the Bobby's neighbor said, gosh,
(03:03):
this is so great. This is like getting Christmas in April,
and so the organization started. We changed our name back
in two thousand and three to Rebuilding Together. It speaks
more to our overall mission and our organization has been
(03:24):
serving the Alexandria, DC community since nineteen eighty six. My well,
I've been here since two thousand and three. So my
degree is actually in advertising, and after about fifteen years
of doing that, it just was not fulfilling anymore.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
So this opportunity came up.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
I had to ensure that to my parents that I
would be okay because I took a huge pay cut
from the advertising world to get into the serving others world.
But here I am twenty some years later, and I
absolutely love our work.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Well, one of the things we've learned on Community DC
is that people like you have a passion for what
they do and if they didn't have that, they wouldn't
be able to knock on some kneecaps to get money
and all the ways you have to fund because we've
also realized it funding and we'll talk about it a
little bit later, and how people can involve it in
its own full time job. But what I'd like to
do because you mentioned you know, Washington, d C and Alexandria,
(04:32):
so that's how your net is casted. But I would
like to ask about criteria about how people can get
involved if they have an issue. You mentioned roofs or
a doorbell, and we can talk about all the different
things that your people offer to fix. But when it
comes to criteria, how does somebody be able to hook
up with rebuilding together? How does the process start?
Speaker 3 (04:51):
So our criteria is that you must own the home
in which you primarily live and for us it's Alexandria
and DC, and that you qualify as a low income
household based on the federal government's guidelines.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Okay, now I'd like to ask you about how things
get fixed and how you work with third parties because
obviously there's a lot of different types of jobs and
just a few that you mentioned, and are they paid
or do they volunteer. I'd love to know about how
you partner up with everybody when it comes to fixing,
whether it's a large, medium or small project.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Sure, well, the majority of our work is through licensed,
paid contractors. We want to ensure that roofs or hvac,
or perhaps a major plumbing or electrical job is done
by a licensed and certified professional. Things such as installing
(06:00):
in grab bars or handrails, or smoke detectors, or again
just adding numbers to the front of a house so
that emergency vehicles can can find you easily, those can
be done by volunteers. I would say that of the
three hundred sum households we helped last year, ninety to
(06:25):
ninety five percent of those received contractors.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Visiting their home and completing the work.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Now that's an extraordinary number. Now I don't I won't
hold you to any numbers, but when you got there
in two thousand and three, how many households were you
serving back then? And I imagine it's grown exponentially, would
I be right?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (06:45):
So back then we were in the double digits, and
as you might imagine the growth over the years. Not
only has the organization grown, but need has grown tremendously.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
So when it comes to all the people that do labor,
I imagine that the words out about how you can employ
people and third parties to do the small medium in
large projects, But how do you hook up with all
the labors that work with you? How does the relationships work.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
With our contractors?
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Yeah, so we issue a request for qualifications once a
year so that contractors can get into our pool of
those contractors that we use, and then we big projects
out and you know, honestly, it's hard these days to
(07:42):
find a contractor, frankly to do any of the small projects.
So luckily, the relationships we've had with our contractors have
been years in the making.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
So we might use the same contractor.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
To to replace a roof, and then that same GC
might also just change out a toilet flap. So we
luckily have a great full of general contractors with whom
(08:18):
we work well and trust.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Yeah. I was going to say I didn't want to
do any assumptions, but if somebody that, say, a labor
and a contractor had a great experience with you and
your team and doing the project. Why wouldn't they want
to work with you again and vice versa.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Right? True, And I'll tell you one reason, and that's
because we do require our contractors to provide a minimum
five percent in kind donation. Again, our clients do not
pay for any of the repairs, which means our office
(08:52):
is solely responsible for raising all the money that goes
to pay the contractors and the permits and the special
use items and all the materials. So we do ask
the contractors to contribute a part of their labor.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Well, that's a good segue for us about getting involved
in funding. So how are you funded?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Am I allowed to say every way I can beg,
steal and borrow?
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Yes, absolutely, because that's what it takes sometimes.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Right, I know, I know, my goodness.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
So we luckily over the past couple of years, have
been fortunate enough to receive federal funds through HUD which
allow us to serve so many clients. We have great
relationships with the local government agencies, both in the City
(09:49):
of Alexandria and DC, so we have grants from them
as well. And then many many corporations and private foundations
support us as well, which goes a long long way
in frankly serving more clients.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Sure, and I want to get into the weeds a
little bit more because I know this is important and
people can go on the website and Catherine will give
the website a couple of times and at the end
of our conversation if our listeners already haven't found that.
But there's circle of neighbors, there's monthly auto donations, this
is a cool one. Hardware store gift cards, I bet
that is a real big one. There's legacy gifts, financial securities,
(10:28):
and real estate gifts and also matching gifts. Can you
talk about maybe the ones that are the more popular ones,
but I imagine that hardware store gift card is a
big one.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
It takes all kinds of tools and materials to provide
these repairs, especially when we have sponsored teams of volunteers
go out to let's say Mary's home to fix up
her home.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
They need the tools and the materials.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
So yes, even just a twenty five dollars gift card
to a local hardware store or a five hundred dollars
check to us is going to be well spent in
terms of serving our clients with the repairs that they need.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
By the way, something I always like to ask people
like you and your position, and I imagine the answers yes.
But we have so many small, medium and large business
owners that listen to this program and want to get
involved in things once they finally hear about it and
the wonderful things that you and your team are doing
it we're building together. If a small, medium or large
business wanted to partner with you, make a donation or
(11:38):
do some kind of donation that you know what had
tools or had labors and contractors. What's the best way
that they can get a hold of you just to
start that conversation.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
They could just call our office and mention the podcast
and speak to me. The office numbers to zero two,
one hundred six zero three.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
To two, okay, And I want to get back and
kind of circle back about criteria and if somebody that
did fit into the window that they can get help
from you, whether it's a small, medium or a large
kind of deal. Can you kind of walk us through
the process about either they reach out to you or
they get on the website, and how it starts and
how it goes on depending on the length of the
(12:24):
project and how everything finishes up, and then your follow
up to make sure that everything was done the way
it was supposed to be. How does it all work?
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Sure? Sure?
Speaker 3 (12:32):
So many times clients simply call our office and say,
you know, my stove is broken or I need some handrails,
and we either email them or mail them an application.
Once we receive the application and quite frankly, proof of
(12:56):
low income status, then we schedule a home visit and
oftentimes a the client might put on their application you know,
my stove is broken, But when we get there, we
see many other elements that need upgraded or repaired. And
(13:19):
it could be as simple as the door lock on
the front door is not working and they're you know,
propping it up with a chair to close it at night,
or for an older adult, they might not have enough
handrails or safety modifications in their home to allow them
to easily maneuver. So our staff looks not only at
(13:44):
what the client requested to be done, but other areas
that we think would greatly improve the safety and the
health of the home. We then determine if we have
funding to cover X, Y and z, and if the
answer is yes, then we send out a contractor. Again,
(14:07):
we have set pricing on a lot of our tasks
so our contractors know what they can bill and what
they cannot. We always require contractors to complete the job
within two to three weeks, certainly more immediately if it's critical,
(14:31):
such as a roof.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Leak, and then staff will review the work.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Contractor invoices us, We pay the bill, and then we
survey clients in terms of how they felt the process went,
how satisfied they are. We also ask things such as,
if you're able to stay in your home now that
(15:01):
these repairs are made, do you want to you know.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
How many.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Do you feel your home is safer because of the repairs.
So we do a lot of impact follow up with
our clients as well.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
I love that, and I was going to ask you
a little bit about that, because you know, we all
talk in life about how we learn and how we
get better and getting you know, the appropriate feedback about
the job and the experiences paramount. So you must really
rely on the people who are getting something fixed to
get back and say it was done in untimely fashion.
Things work again, thank you so much. And then, as
(15:36):
you mentioned, you know there might be a couple other jobs,
which I love you even you were there for that,
yet you could do some other stuff for them. I
think that's wonderful too.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
So one of my favorite stories from is from a
client who many years ago called us because his insurance
company said, if you do not get your roof replaced,
we're going to drop your home insurance.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Boy.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
So mister Koshar thought, great, all I need is a roof. Well,
when staff went out there, we saw that mister Koshar
was an older adult, a little bit unsteady on his feet,
and so we did a quick home assessment and realized
that he did not have any safety elements within his bathroom.
(16:29):
So we installed some grab bars in his shower. And frankly,
I do not consider myself an older adult, but I
have grab bars in my shower just to hold on.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
Too, for safety.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
So we installed the grab bars, and a couple of
weeks later, when we were following up with mister Koshar,
he said, you know, the grab bars make me feel
safer in the shower. So I and I'm paraphrasing, so
I am bathing more often, and I feel better about myself,
(17:07):
and I am getting out walking two blocks down to
the senior center and socializing with people on a more
frequent basis. And all of that is simply because we
installed grab bars that you know, we're less than one
hundred and fifty dollars, but it changed his daily routine.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
You know, one of the things that we learned in
this program that you and I and a lot of
our listeners take for granted that we either have these
things or we can afford them. And your story is
a great example about that was a really big bonus
for that older gentleman to have that, and it was
a life changing and it stops me from asking your question, Hey,
can you tell us a story about you know, something
(17:53):
that you executed. This is why we get up every
day to do things like this and having a great
story it must be very fulfilling. As hard as you
and your team work, Catherine, that you hear stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Absolutely and sometimes.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
But back in the day when I used to do
the home assessments, because we were a staff of one
point five, one of my clients left a note on
his front door saying, you know, Kathy, even though I
do not go by Kathy, Kathy, knock really hard. My
hearing aids are not in so I still have that
(18:30):
note twenty years later near my office just to remind
me of the.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
People element.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
And you know, the world might throw you some lemons someday,
but memories of the mister Koshark client and my little
hearing aids story just allow me to make lemonades out
of it and lemonade out of it.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
And you know, whatever's getting me.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Down that day, I think of these client stories and
it makes me smile well.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
And it also reminds us all that sometimes it just
takes a little act of kindness to really change things,
doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Yes, absolutely, you mentioned.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Your team, and I know that. By the way, I'm
not surprised you were at one point five when you
started this job, because I hear this from from so
many nonprofits. I'm a one person team or I've got
a part timer working with me, But I know you
have a team now, and I know it's been growing
exponentially over years. And the team is always important. And
we talk to leaders in this series and other podcasts
that we do that leaders aren't anything without their wonderful team,
(19:36):
can you. And you don't have to mention people by
name unless you want to, but you want to talk
a little bit about your team, what they do and
how they help you.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
So we were in a staff meeting the other day
and my director of program said.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
That we are.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Punching above our weight, and I equate out with the
you know, the little train that could. We are a
staff of eight, but again last year we served more
than three hundred households. So it is about teamwork and
(20:16):
just helping out wherever we're needed within each department.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
So staff of eight, that's a lot from one point
five twenty years ago.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
It is, it is, and we're still growing.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
So yes, that's wonderful. I wanted to talk a little
bit more about getting involved in if you want to
hit on each of these bullet points, just to talk
a little bit about them. But I think it's really
important because there is something called adopt a Home, then
there's exclusive project Days, and then after that we've got
National Rebuilding Day, volunteer waiver reforms. Because you talked about volunteers,
I want to make sure we circle back and tell
(20:51):
people they can volunteer with you, and also house captains,
can you go over each one just a little bit
for everybody, just to equate, and then we'll send people
to the website and they can check out.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
More Sure sure, so I know you're referencing our website,
which is Rebuilding Together DCA dot org and adopt a
Home is for individuals who cannot gather a team of
volunteers to go out and work on a home. So
(21:20):
maybe five different individuals pull their money together and then
we spend those funds on a particular clients home. The
Exclusive Project Day is when companies or faith based organizations
contact us and we partner to send their volunteers to
(21:45):
a client's home. All they do is show up, so
we supervise everything we've done, the house scope, we bring
all the tools and materials, we provide instruction.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Those are exclusive projects days.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
National Rebuilding Day is always in the month of April,
and that's where again companies or faith based organizations, they
bring their own teams and they scope the house and
they provide tools and materials on our account, but they
are doing all of the supervision and instruction.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
On those days.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
And the other two areas that volunteer and house captain.
Those are the house captain specifically is tied to National
Rebuilding Day because each team needs our own house captain.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
And then yes, volunteers sign up.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
We need to make sure that we are carrying proper
insurance to cover our volunteers, so we do that through
that sign up form.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
Very good. Let's talk about programs. I know we've touched
on a little bit of them, but maybe we could
go a little bit more in depth. Because you've got
Safe and Healthy Homes, You've got Safe at Homes in
d C, Community Strong with DC and Alexandria, and then
Home of your Own Alexandria, can you talk to us
a little bit about each one?
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (23:15):
So the majority of our work is done through our
Safe and Healthy Homes program, and that's the program where
the roof replacement and the smoke detectors and the grab
bars get replaced. We have a great relationship with the
(23:36):
DC Department of Aging and Community Living where we specifically
serve older adults in d C with safety modifications, and
that's the Safe at Home program.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Community Strong is.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
Our program where we go into lower income neighborhoods and
whether that's schools or parks or senior centers or rec
centers and provide upgrades to those facilities. And then Home
of your Own is a great partnership with the city
of Alexandria's Office of Housing, where we purchase for closed properties,
(24:18):
rehab them and then sell them to first time low
income home buyers.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
All right, I want you to tell us the story
and whatever you can, and that would be great. But
Mackenzie Scott, for the people that don't know who, is
a philanthropist and an author and has a lot of
money and has been terribly generous over the last almost
decade now with giving gifts a large amount of gifts,
(24:43):
including a nine million dollar gift to Rebuilding Together. This
happened in October of twenty twenty three. I've heard different
stories about how businesses are contacted, how they're surprised, how
it happens out of nowhere, I imagine, and I don't
want to assume, but there's a lot of research probably
in the back end for Mackenzie Scott and her team
to find who's going to get the money. But can
you tell me how you heard about it, how it
(25:03):
all came about, and what just happened, because I think
it's just fascinating that you were one of the beneficiaries
of getting a nice gift from McKenzie Scott.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Sure, so I can.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
I'll set the record straight and tell you that our
affiliate did not get nine million, but our national headquarters,
Rebuilding Together, did receive the nine million, And from what
I understand, the CEO of Rebuilding Together received a call
out of the blue on her cell phone to the
(25:39):
point that she it was an unknown number and she
told us, you know, I almost didn't even pick up
the phone. And so, yes, the generosity of Mackenzie Scott
is just incredible. So the national office did receive nine
million dollars and they have been generous enough to provide
(26:02):
some funding to the national to the affiliates across the nation,
and they are saving they are investing part of that
fund as well, part of the nine million, frankly for
a rainy day.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
You know, every nonprofit.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Has to be really good at resiliency, and one way
to do that is to make sure you've got some
investment funds. So, yes, we would love to have more
Mackenzie Scott gifts out there, wouldn't the world be wonderful?
Speaker 1 (26:36):
Yeah, And I've talked to a couple other nonprofits on
Community DC that also received some gifts, whether it was
indirectly as you have or directly, and it's almost the
same story. It is a phone call out of nowhere.
Once again, research probably done on the back end to
figure out how we're going to do it and execute it.
But then it just it's one big surprise, and it's
usually a large chunk of money that they could really
(26:57):
use at that time, and I just think it's one
So when I read the story, I thought that was
pretty cool. Well, I want to do this. I want
to do this, Catherine. We have about two three minutes left.
I'd like to recap what we've talked about, not only
the criteria people you know, being qualified for this, contractors,
if they're listening right now, how they can partner with
you and getting on the website calling you, and also
(27:18):
if people want to donate money, there is a big
fat green donate button on the website. But also there's
we have a lot of people, as I say, that
listen to this program that probably finding out about you
and your team for the first time. I would like
to help out. So if you could just kind of encapsulate, well,
we've talked about recap everything. The floor is yours.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Wow, Dennis, that's a that's a big ask, all right.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
So if you are in need of help, you can
call or go to our website. The website is Rebuilding
Together DCA dot org. Our phone number is two O
two eight hundred six zero three two, and our programs
department would be happy to get an application to you.
(28:00):
If you are a contractor who would like to join
our pool, you could also call two two eight hundred
and six zero three two speak to our director of
programs and get that ball rolling. And then absolutely if
you would like to donate to us, you can go
(28:23):
to our website donate online. You can send a check
we As you mentioned before, Dennis, we certainly appreciate hardware
gift cards, but checks and financial donations are greatly appreciated
(28:43):
as well.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Outstanding Well, listen, Catherine, I'm so glad that somebody introduced
us to you and you and your team at Rebuilding Together.
It's extraordinary what you do, and that you know, you
were in just the double digits back a couple of
decades ago, and now you're serving over three hundred homes
and I know that's probably exponentially growing. It's huge. It
says a lot about your relationships, helping people, your partnerships
(29:08):
and all that you're doing out there. And as you mentioned,
there's more people in need now than ever before because
the world's on fire man and we just need help
out there and acts of kindness, and I think it's wonderful.
So thank you so much for your valuable time. I'd
love to get you on the show again and kind
of follow up with you and see how you and
your team doing. But thank you so much for joining
us on Community DC. We really appreciate it absolutely.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
Thank you so much, Dennis.
Speaker 4 (29:31):
Don't let biased algorithms or degree screens, or exclusive professional
networks or stereotypes. Don't let anything keep you from discovering
the half of the workforce who are stars. Workers skill
through alternative rops rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time
to tear the paper ceiling and see the stars beyond it.
(29:53):
Find out how you can make stars part of your
talent strategy at Tear Thepaperseiling dot org, brought to you
by Opportunity at Work in that ad Council
Good morning, and welcome to another edition of Community d C.
I'm your host Dennis Glasgow. This morning, we welcome to
the program for the first time Catherine Dixon, who is
the CEO for Rebuilding Together d C Alexandria, which is
an award winning mission driven organization that creates healthy neighborhoods
for residents in Washington, d C and Alexandria, Virginia. We
cover a lot of ground with Catherine over the next
(00:28):
thirty minutes and learn all the many things that rt
DCA is doing for residents in DC and Alexandria. Here's
my conversation with Catherine. I hope you enjoy it as
much as I did. Good morning, Catherine.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Good morning Dennis.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
How are you. I'm very excited to talk to you
and I'm well, this is the first time we've had
you on in Rebuilding Together and I love what you
and your team do, and I think that our listeners
at Community DC are going to get a really fresh
perspective of some of the amazing things that you your team
are building together and what you are So what I'd
like to do for is talk about what Rebuilding Together
(01:03):
is and then we can talk about the history your
involvement as CEO. I know you've been doing that for
a very long time, along with your team and all
the incredible things that are happening right now in the future.
But tell everybody what we're building together actually is well.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
We and our office is one of about one hundred
across the nation that.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
At our core, we believe everyone deserves a safe and
healthy home. So we provide free home repairs to allow
people to remain in their homes.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
And we do that.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Through licensed contractors, many times skilled volunteers. And the repairs
range from a roof replacement to HVAC to you know, gosh,
my doorbell doesn't work or I need smoke detectors, so
the repairs and replacements run the gamut again try to
(02:00):
ensure that everyone has a safe and healthy home.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
So I mentioned in my open that you've been around
a CEO since two thousand and three, and i'd like
to talk about your journey over the last couple of decades,
about where you started and where Rebuilding Together is today.
But what's the history behind Rebuilding Together? When did actually
everything start? What was the origin of it?
Speaker 3 (02:20):
So, and the timing is interesting because the founder of
what was then named Christmas in April back in nineteen
seventy three recently passed away, so rumor has it. Back
in nineteen seventy three, Bobby.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Tremble asked his.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Group of church class members, you know, hey, my neighbor's
home is in need of repair. Can somebody come out
and help me with the repairs? And so this group
went out and sometime during the day, the Bobby's neighbor said, gosh,
(03:03):
this is so great. This is like getting Christmas in April,
and so the organization started. We changed our name back
in two thousand and three to Rebuilding Together. It speaks
more to our overall mission and our organization has been
(03:24):
serving the Alexandria, DC community since nineteen eighty six. My well,
I've been here since two thousand and three. So my
degree is actually in advertising, and after about fifteen years
of doing that, it just was not fulfilling anymore.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
So this opportunity came up.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
I had to ensure that to my parents that I
would be okay because I took a huge pay cut
from the advertising world to get into the serving others world.
But here I am twenty some years later, and I
absolutely love our work.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Well, one of the things we've learned on Community DC
is that people like you have a passion for what
they do and if they didn't have that, they wouldn't
be able to knock on some kneecaps to get money
and all the ways you have to fund because we've
also realized it funding and we'll talk about it a
little bit later, and how people can involve it in
its own full time job. But what I'd like to
do because you mentioned you know, Washington, d C and Alexandria,
(04:32):
so that's how your net is casted. But I would
like to ask about criteria about how people can get
involved if they have an issue. You mentioned roofs or
a doorbell, and we can talk about all the different
things that your people offer to fix. But when it
comes to criteria, how does somebody be able to hook
up with rebuilding together? How does the process start?
Speaker 3 (04:51):
So our criteria is that you must own the home
in which you primarily live and for us it's Alexandria
and DC, and that you qualify as a low income
household based on the federal government's guidelines.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Okay, now I'd like to ask you about how things
get fixed and how you work with third parties because
obviously there's a lot of different types of jobs and
just a few that you mentioned, and are they paid
or do they volunteer. I'd love to know about how
you partner up with everybody when it comes to fixing,
whether it's a large, medium or small project.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Sure, well, the majority of our work is through licensed,
paid contractors. We want to ensure that roofs or hvac,
or perhaps a major plumbing or electrical job is done
by a licensed and certified professional. Things such as installing
(06:00):
in grab bars or handrails, or smoke detectors, or again
just adding numbers to the front of a house so
that emergency vehicles can can find you easily, those can
be done by volunteers. I would say that of the
three hundred sum households we helped last year, ninety to
(06:25):
ninety five percent of those received contractors.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Visiting their home and completing the work.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Now that's an extraordinary number. Now I don't I won't
hold you to any numbers, but when you got there
in two thousand and three, how many households were you
serving back then? And I imagine it's grown exponentially, would
I be right?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (06:45):
So back then we were in the double digits, and
as you might imagine the growth over the years. Not
only has the organization grown, but need has grown tremendously.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
So when it comes to all the people that do labor,
I imagine that the words out about how you can employ
people and third parties to do the small medium in
large projects, But how do you hook up with all
the labors that work with you? How does the relationships work.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
With our contractors?
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Yeah, so we issue a request for qualifications once a
year so that contractors can get into our pool of
those contractors that we use, and then we big projects
out and you know, honestly, it's hard these days to
(07:42):
find a contractor, frankly to do any of the small projects.
So luckily, the relationships we've had with our contractors have
been years in the making.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
So we might use the same contractor.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
To to replace a roof, and then that same GC
might also just change out a toilet flap. So we
luckily have a great full of general contractors with whom
(08:18):
we work well and trust.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Yeah. I was going to say I didn't want to
do any assumptions, but if somebody that, say, a labor
and a contractor had a great experience with you and
your team and doing the project. Why wouldn't they want
to work with you again and vice versa.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Right? True, And I'll tell you one reason, and that's
because we do require our contractors to provide a minimum
five percent in kind donation. Again, our clients do not
pay for any of the repairs, which means our office
(08:52):
is solely responsible for raising all the money that goes
to pay the contractors and the permits and the special
use items and all the materials. So we do ask
the contractors to contribute a part of their labor.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Well, that's a good segue for us about getting involved
in funding. So how are you funded?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Am I allowed to say every way I can beg,
steal and borrow?
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Yes, absolutely, because that's what it takes sometimes.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Right, I know, I know, my goodness.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
So we luckily over the past couple of years, have
been fortunate enough to receive federal funds through HUD which
allow us to serve so many clients. We have great
relationships with the local government agencies, both in the City
(09:49):
of Alexandria and DC, so we have grants from them
as well. And then many many corporations and private foundations
support us as well, which goes a long long way
in frankly serving more clients.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Sure, and I want to get into the weeds a
little bit more because I know this is important and
people can go on the website and Catherine will give
the website a couple of times and at the end
of our conversation if our listeners already haven't found that.
But there's circle of neighbors, there's monthly auto donations, this
is a cool one. Hardware store gift cards, I bet
that is a real big one. There's legacy gifts, financial securities,
(10:28):
and real estate gifts and also matching gifts. Can you
talk about maybe the ones that are the more popular ones,
but I imagine that hardware store gift card is a
big one.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
It takes all kinds of tools and materials to provide
these repairs, especially when we have sponsored teams of volunteers
go out to let's say Mary's home to fix up
her home.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
They need the tools and the materials.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
So yes, even just a twenty five dollars gift card
to a local hardware store or a five hundred dollars
check to us is going to be well spent in
terms of serving our clients with the repairs that they need.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
By the way, something I always like to ask people
like you and your position, and I imagine the answers yes.
But we have so many small, medium and large business
owners that listen to this program and want to get
involved in things once they finally hear about it and
the wonderful things that you and your team are doing
it we're building together. If a small, medium or large
business wanted to partner with you, make a donation or
(11:38):
do some kind of donation that you know what had
tools or had labors and contractors. What's the best way
that they can get a hold of you just to
start that conversation.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
They could just call our office and mention the podcast
and speak to me. The office numbers to zero two,
one hundred six zero three.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
To two, okay, And I want to get back and
kind of circle back about criteria and if somebody that
did fit into the window that they can get help
from you, whether it's a small, medium or a large
kind of deal. Can you kind of walk us through
the process about either they reach out to you or
they get on the website, and how it starts and
how it goes on depending on the length of the
(12:24):
project and how everything finishes up, and then your follow
up to make sure that everything was done the way
it was supposed to be. How does it all work?
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Sure? Sure?
Speaker 3 (12:32):
So many times clients simply call our office and say,
you know, my stove is broken or I need some handrails,
and we either email them or mail them an application.
Once we receive the application and quite frankly, proof of
(12:56):
low income status, then we schedule a home visit and
oftentimes a the client might put on their application you know,
my stove is broken, But when we get there, we
see many other elements that need upgraded or repaired. And
(13:19):
it could be as simple as the door lock on
the front door is not working and they're you know,
propping it up with a chair to close it at night,
or for an older adult, they might not have enough
handrails or safety modifications in their home to allow them
to easily maneuver. So our staff looks not only at
(13:44):
what the client requested to be done, but other areas
that we think would greatly improve the safety and the
health of the home. We then determine if we have
funding to cover X, Y and z, and if the
answer is yes, then we send out a contractor. Again,
(14:07):
we have set pricing on a lot of our tasks
so our contractors know what they can bill and what
they cannot. We always require contractors to complete the job
within two to three weeks, certainly more immediately if it's critical,
(14:31):
such as a roof.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Leak, and then staff will review the work.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Contractor invoices us, We pay the bill, and then we
survey clients in terms of how they felt the process went,
how satisfied they are. We also ask things such as,
if you're able to stay in your home now that
(15:01):
these repairs are made, do you want to you know.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
How many.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Do you feel your home is safer because of the repairs.
So we do a lot of impact follow up with
our clients as well.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
I love that, and I was going to ask you
a little bit about that, because you know, we all
talk in life about how we learn and how we
get better and getting you know, the appropriate feedback about
the job and the experiences paramount. So you must really
rely on the people who are getting something fixed to
get back and say it was done in untimely fashion.
Things work again, thank you so much. And then, as
(15:36):
you mentioned, you know there might be a couple other jobs,
which I love you even you were there for that,
yet you could do some other stuff for them. I
think that's wonderful too.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
So one of my favorite stories from is from a
client who many years ago called us because his insurance
company said, if you do not get your roof replaced,
we're going to drop your home insurance.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Boy.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
So mister Koshar thought, great, all I need is a roof. Well,
when staff went out there, we saw that mister Koshar
was an older adult, a little bit unsteady on his feet,
and so we did a quick home assessment and realized
that he did not have any safety elements within his bathroom.
(16:29):
So we installed some grab bars in his shower. And frankly,
I do not consider myself an older adult, but I
have grab bars in my shower just to hold on.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
Too, for safety.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
So we installed the grab bars, and a couple of
weeks later, when we were following up with mister Koshar,
he said, you know, the grab bars make me feel
safer in the shower. So I and I'm paraphrasing, so
I am bathing more often, and I feel better about myself,
(17:07):
and I am getting out walking two blocks down to
the senior center and socializing with people on a more
frequent basis. And all of that is simply because we
installed grab bars that you know, we're less than one
hundred and fifty dollars, but it changed his daily routine.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
You know, one of the things that we learned in
this program that you and I and a lot of
our listeners take for granted that we either have these
things or we can afford them. And your story is
a great example about that was a really big bonus
for that older gentleman to have that, and it was
a life changing and it stops me from asking your question, Hey,
can you tell us a story about you know, something
(17:53):
that you executed. This is why we get up every
day to do things like this and having a great
story it must be very fulfilling. As hard as you
and your team work, Catherine, that you hear stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Absolutely and sometimes.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
But back in the day when I used to do
the home assessments, because we were a staff of one
point five, one of my clients left a note on
his front door saying, you know, Kathy, even though I
do not go by Kathy, Kathy, knock really hard. My
hearing aids are not in so I still have that
(18:30):
note twenty years later near my office just to remind
me of the.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
People element.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
And you know, the world might throw you some lemons someday,
but memories of the mister Koshark client and my little
hearing aids story just allow me to make lemonades out
of it and lemonade out of it.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
And you know, whatever's getting me.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Down that day, I think of these client stories and
it makes me smile well.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
And it also reminds us all that sometimes it just
takes a little act of kindness to really change things,
doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Yes, absolutely, you mentioned.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Your team, and I know that. By the way, I'm
not surprised you were at one point five when you
started this job, because I hear this from from so
many nonprofits. I'm a one person team or I've got
a part timer working with me, But I know you
have a team now, and I know it's been growing
exponentially over years. And the team is always important. And
we talk to leaders in this series and other podcasts
that we do that leaders aren't anything without their wonderful team,
(19:36):
can you. And you don't have to mention people by
name unless you want to, but you want to talk
a little bit about your team, what they do and
how they help you.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
So we were in a staff meeting the other day
and my director of program said.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
That we are.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Punching above our weight, and I equate out with the
you know, the little train that could. We are a
staff of eight, but again last year we served more
than three hundred households. So it is about teamwork and
(20:16):
just helping out wherever we're needed within each department.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
So staff of eight, that's a lot from one point
five twenty years ago.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
It is, it is, and we're still growing.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
So yes, that's wonderful. I wanted to talk a little
bit more about getting involved in if you want to
hit on each of these bullet points, just to talk
a little bit about them. But I think it's really
important because there is something called adopt a Home, then
there's exclusive project Days, and then after that we've got
National Rebuilding Day, volunteer waiver reforms. Because you talked about volunteers,
I want to make sure we circle back and tell
(20:51):
people they can volunteer with you, and also house captains,
can you go over each one just a little bit
for everybody, just to equate, and then we'll send people
to the website and they can check out.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
More Sure sure, so I know you're referencing our website,
which is Rebuilding Together DCA dot org and adopt a
Home is for individuals who cannot gather a team of
volunteers to go out and work on a home. So
(21:20):
maybe five different individuals pull their money together and then
we spend those funds on a particular clients home. The
Exclusive Project Day is when companies or faith based organizations
contact us and we partner to send their volunteers to
(21:45):
a client's home. All they do is show up, so
we supervise everything we've done, the house scope, we bring
all the tools and materials, we provide instruction.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Those are exclusive projects days.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
National Rebuilding Day is always in the month of April,
and that's where again companies or faith based organizations, they
bring their own teams and they scope the house and
they provide tools and materials on our account, but they
are doing all of the supervision and instruction.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
On those days.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
And the other two areas that volunteer and house captain.
Those are the house captain specifically is tied to National
Rebuilding Day because each team needs our own house captain.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
And then yes, volunteers sign up.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
We need to make sure that we are carrying proper
insurance to cover our volunteers, so we do that through
that sign up form.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
Very good. Let's talk about programs. I know we've touched
on a little bit of them, but maybe we could
go a little bit more in depth. Because you've got
Safe and Healthy Homes, You've got Safe at Homes in
d C, Community Strong with DC and Alexandria, and then
Home of your Own Alexandria, can you talk to us
a little bit about each one?
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (23:15):
So the majority of our work is done through our
Safe and Healthy Homes program, and that's the program where
the roof replacement and the smoke detectors and the grab
bars get replaced. We have a great relationship with the
(23:36):
DC Department of Aging and Community Living where we specifically
serve older adults in d C with safety modifications, and
that's the Safe at Home program.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Community Strong is.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
Our program where we go into lower income neighborhoods and
whether that's schools or parks or senior centers or rec
centers and provide upgrades to those facilities. And then Home
of your Own is a great partnership with the city
of Alexandria's Office of Housing, where we purchase for closed properties,
(24:18):
rehab them and then sell them to first time low
income home buyers.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
All right, I want you to tell us the story
and whatever you can, and that would be great. But
Mackenzie Scott, for the people that don't know who, is
a philanthropist and an author and has a lot of
money and has been terribly generous over the last almost
decade now with giving gifts a large amount of gifts,
(24:43):
including a nine million dollar gift to Rebuilding Together. This
happened in October of twenty twenty three. I've heard different
stories about how businesses are contacted, how they're surprised, how
it happens out of nowhere, I imagine, and I don't
want to assume, but there's a lot of research probably
in the back end for Mackenzie Scott and her team
to find who's going to get the money. But can
you tell me how you heard about it, how it
(25:03):
all came about, and what just happened, because I think
it's just fascinating that you were one of the beneficiaries
of getting a nice gift from McKenzie Scott.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Sure, so I can.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
I'll set the record straight and tell you that our
affiliate did not get nine million, but our national headquarters,
Rebuilding Together, did receive the nine million, And from what
I understand, the CEO of Rebuilding Together received a call
out of the blue on her cell phone to the
(25:39):
point that she it was an unknown number and she
told us, you know, I almost didn't even pick up
the phone. And so, yes, the generosity of Mackenzie Scott
is just incredible. So the national office did receive nine
million dollars and they have been generous enough to provide
(26:02):
some funding to the national to the affiliates across the nation,
and they are saving they are investing part of that
fund as well, part of the nine million, frankly for
a rainy day.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
You know, every nonprofit.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Has to be really good at resiliency, and one way
to do that is to make sure you've got some
investment funds. So, yes, we would love to have more
Mackenzie Scott gifts out there, wouldn't the world be wonderful?
Speaker 1 (26:36):
Yeah, And I've talked to a couple other nonprofits on
Community DC that also received some gifts, whether it was
indirectly as you have or directly, and it's almost the
same story. It is a phone call out of nowhere.
Once again, research probably done on the back end to
figure out how we're going to do it and execute it.
But then it just it's one big surprise, and it's
usually a large chunk of money that they could really
(26:57):
use at that time, and I just think it's one
So when I read the story, I thought that was
pretty cool. Well, I want to do this. I want
to do this, Catherine. We have about two three minutes left.
I'd like to recap what we've talked about, not only
the criteria people you know, being qualified for this, contractors,
if they're listening right now, how they can partner with
you and getting on the website calling you, and also
(27:18):
if people want to donate money, there is a big
fat green donate button on the website. But also there's
we have a lot of people, as I say, that
listen to this program that probably finding out about you
and your team for the first time. I would like
to help out. So if you could just kind of encapsulate, well,
we've talked about recap everything. The floor is yours.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Wow, Dennis, that's a that's a big ask, all right.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
So if you are in need of help, you can
call or go to our website. The website is Rebuilding
Together DCA dot org. Our phone number is two O
two eight hundred six zero three two, and our programs
department would be happy to get an application to you.
(28:00):
If you are a contractor who would like to join
our pool, you could also call two two eight hundred
and six zero three two speak to our director of
programs and get that ball rolling. And then absolutely if
you would like to donate to us, you can go
(28:23):
to our website donate online. You can send a check
we As you mentioned before, Dennis, we certainly appreciate hardware
gift cards, but checks and financial donations are greatly appreciated
(28:43):
as well.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Outstanding Well, listen, Catherine, I'm so glad that somebody introduced
us to you and you and your team at Rebuilding Together.
It's extraordinary what you do, and that you know, you
were in just the double digits back a couple of
decades ago, and now you're serving over three hundred homes
and I know that's probably exponentially growing. It's huge. It
says a lot about your relationships, helping people, your partnerships
(29:08):
and all that you're doing out there. And as you mentioned,
there's more people in need now than ever before because
the world's on fire man and we just need help
out there and acts of kindness, and I think it's wonderful.
So thank you so much for your valuable time. I'd
love to get you on the show again and kind
of follow up with you and see how you and
your team doing. But thank you so much for joining
us on Community DC. We really appreciate it absolutely.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
Thank you so much, Dennis.
Speaker 4 (29:31):
Don't let biased algorithms or degree screens, or exclusive professional
networks or stereotypes. Don't let anything keep you from discovering
the half of the workforce who are stars. Workers skill
through alternative rops rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time
to tear the paper ceiling and see the stars beyond it.
(29:53):
Find out how you can make stars part of your
talent strategy at Tear Thepaperseiling dot org, brought to you
by Opportunity at Work in that ad Council
Popular Podcasts
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.