People Working Cooperatively Expands to Greater Dayton

CINCINNATI, Nov. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- People Working Cooperatively (PWC), a nonprofit that has served Greater Cincinnati for almost 40 years, announced today that it will expand its service area to include Greene, Montgomery and Preble counties.

The Dayton Fund for Home Rehabilitation, a Dayton-based nonprofit that strives to help homeowners to keep their homes, throughout those northern counties, will become a subsidiary of PWC.

"We have been effectively serving low-income homeowners across the Tri-State with critical home repairs, weatherization services and mobility modifications for almost four decades," Jock Pitts, president of PWC, said. "To bring our expertise and commitment to our neighbors up north is a substantial move for PWC, but we're eager to address the increase in need for our services."

While PWC and the Dayton Fund share a mutual goal of keeping homeowners safe in their homes, their operations are different. With the Dayton Fund under PWC's umbrella, homeowners in Greene, Montgomery and Preble counties will no longer secure a loan and then seek out competitive bids for their critical home repairs. Instead homeowners will apply for certain needs – be it weatherization services, home repairs or mobility modifications – and PWC's licensed, professionally trained staff of carpenters, HVAC technicians, plumbers and electricians will provide those services as funds allow.

"When we began to search for partners to help address the growing needs in Dayton, People Working Cooperatively stood out among the rest," Dayton Fund board member Bill Johnson said. "PWC is essentially a construction company that wants to repair the community one house at a time."

PWC will begin to serve the Greater Dayton region in 2014. The nonprofit is communicating changes to Dayton Fund clients and is accepting new clients. Homeowners in Greene, Montgomery and Preble counties should call (937) 281-0685 to see if they qualify for PWC's services.

"We're believers that a rising tide lifts all boats," Pitts said. "Our hope is that we're able to leverage our resources to make the type of improvements in Dayton as we've seen in Greater Cincinnati."

A study conducted by the Cadmus Group, an internationally-known assessor, and the UC Economics Center examined PWC's work over a three-year period. One of the top findings related to PWC's return on investment. The study found that on average, homes served by PWC would have a sale price value of 6.4 to 10.6 percent higher than a home not serviced by PWC.

PWC supplies more than 12,500 services annually to homeowners in crisis situations who are unable to adequately care for their homes. The average PWC client earns about $13,500 a year and typically faces challenges due to illness, disability, job loss or other circumstances.

"As we bring PWC into Dayton, we increase opportunities and assistance within the community," Pitts said. "But make no mistake, the need there is still great. We will require additional resources from generous donors and funders to address that growing need."

About People Working Cooperatively
Incorporated in 1975, People Working Cooperatively (PWC) is a nonprofit organization serving low-income, elderly, and disabled homeowners in 23 counties of Southwestern Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Indiana. PWC strengthens communities by providing professional, critical home repair, weatherization, modification, and maintenance services to help residents stay safely in their homes. For almost 40 years, PWC's staff of licensed, trained employees and dedicated corps of almost 7,000 volunteers have provided 250,000 services. For more information, visit www.pwchomerepairs.org or call (513) 351-7921.

SOURCE People Working Cooperatively