If you’re ready to take on home repairs yourself, there are several opportunities in Philadelphia. These courses will teach you how to use tools, fix plumbing and electrical issues, and improve your home.
The city’s Basic Systems Repair Program is free for income-eligible homeowners. They can get free repairs to electrical, plumbing, heating, and structural issues.
Delaware County Community College
Get hands-on experience with the basics of electric, plumbing, drywall installation and tile and other types of flooring. This class will help you learn to fix and improve your home on your own, saving money in the long run.
Our skilled trades programs prepare students for high-demand jobs in a variety of industries, including automotive, electronics, HVAC systems and welding. We also have an excellent engineering technology program that produces graduates with the knowledge to support industry in the region.
The College’s open-door policy allows anyone who has graduated from high school or passed the GED exam to apply for admission. Our counselors and advisors help incoming students to plan a schedule that meets their personal, professional and educational goals.
Mt. Airy CDC
Founded in 1980, Mt. Airy CDC has been a longtime neighborhood revitalization organization in the Germantown Avenue community of Philadelphia. Its programs include award-winning housing counseling, business development, community marketing and promotion, affordable workspace and initiatives for childhood literacy and senior wellness.
The CDC’s First-Time Homebuyer Fund is a free program designed to help lower-income first-time home buyers with down payment and closing costs when purchasing a home. Its counselors assist with the process by explaining the legal documents associated with the closing and the home buying experience, assisting with down payment and closing costs, ensuring the home purchase is in line with fair housing principles and fair lending and identifying available sources for financing.
The CDC’s housing counseling team has won the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s Best Agency Award for the past two years. This recognition, awarded statewide, honors the exemplary work of local agencies, such as Mt. Airy CDC’s, to serve the low-income residents of Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia Corporation for Aging
Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) has a home repair program that helps older adults make minor repairs to their homes. This program, called SHARP, is offered to income-eligible seniors who live in Philadelphia and meet certain criteria.
Homeowners can get free services like installing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, railings, intercoms, grab bars, tub benches and hand-held shower installations. They can also get wood basement stairs repaired and exterior doors replaced.
The program is open to homeowners who are under 200% of the federal poverty level, or up to $29,160 for a single family and $60,000 for a household of four. You can apply for the program online.
Aside from its home repair programs, PCA also provides senior day services, emergency resources, social work services, housing options, and other support services for seniors. Founded in 1973, it is one of the largest nonprofit organizations in Pennsylvania. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for older Philadelphians and to assist them in achieving their maximum levels of health, independence and productivity.
Rebuilding Together Philadelphia
Rebuilding Together Philadelphia is a non-profit that works to revitalize lower income neighborhoods. Its primary program is a two-day “Block Build” where volunteers from the community and from professional and student organizations work with local homeowners to complete essential home repairs.
The organization was founded in 1988 by Robert Bellinger and several of his graduate students from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Today, the nonprofit is a local independent affiliate of Rebuilding Together, Inc., the nation’s leading nonprofit organization providing critical home repairs and modifications to America’s vulnerable homeowners.
RTP is currently recruiting first year leadership, such as House Captains and Cluster Coordinators for the Block Build Weekend in West Philadelphia March 28/29 and April 4/5. In addition, all students interested in occupational therapy can join the Rebuilding Together club to volunteer at these events.
This organization is a wonderful non-profit, but they are underfunded and understaffed. They can use all the help they can get!