WEST SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Habitat for Humanity’s Rock the Block program is coming back to West Sacramento. On October 13 and 14, 2023, the 2^nd annual Rock the Block Bryte/Broderick program will be here with hundreds of community members who have volunteered to help out their neighbors with free and drastically reduced home repairs. Applications for repairs are being accepted from now until June 30, 2023.

The focus area this year has the following boundaries: If you live between Harbor Blvd. and 5^th Street and Sacramento Ave. to the River you are in the focus area. To qualify you must own (or are buying) your home and must live on a low or fixed income. If you meet those standards and your home has dry rot or needs the exterior painted, if you need general household maintenance like your gutters need cleaning or you need limbs cut or landscaping done, or if you are interested in lowering your water bills by having a drought tolerant yard put in, then this program might be what you are looking for.

That’s not all. With the Rock the Block program you can get a good neighbor fence built or replaced or maybe your problems are bigger than that, like you need a new roof, HVAC unit, water heater or other energy efficient appliances and upgrades, then this program may be able to help you. Jobs that require the services of a trained professional are done by one. Those jobs that are done by volunteers have a professional overseeing the job to insure the work is done correctly.

Home owners are not required to participate in the work, but they are welcome to if their health permits. Applications can be found at https://habitatgreatersac.org/rockbrytebroderick/ and are available in english, spanish and russian. You can also email any questions about your application to [email protected].

If you are not in need of repairs or don’t live in the focus area but still want to be involved, you can be. Community investments and partnerships are available as well. In other words, if you know of empty lots within the focus area where trash is being dumped or has overgrown vegetation, or if you know of community organizations that need support, repairs or upgrades you can fill out a Community Partner/Investment Suggestion form by going to https://habitatgreatersac.org/community-project-inquiry-rtb-west-sac/ or by reaching out to Habitat’s Community Partnership Manager, Darnell Dumas at [email protected].

If you or your company are interested in sponsorship opportunities contact Kathy Steverson at [email protected] to find out more about sponsorship. And last but not least, the heart and soul of the program… If you are interested in volunteering alone, with friends, family, neighbors, or colleagues, contact Brianna Lowrie at [email protected]. Individual community volunteer opportunities will open in September for this event. However, Habitat is always in need of volunteers. It doesn’t have to be your neighborhood. You can help people all over the Sacramento area, or even at their Re-Store.

In 2022 over 400 volunteers and residents completed 11 home repairs that included brick patios, landscaping, painting homes, building fences and much more. Ten community investment projects were completed as well as a community cleanup. In 36 hours, over 3,000 volunteer hours were clocked and $141,000 of investments into the neighborhoods of Bryte and Broderick were aquired. At the end of the weekend, everyone went home exhausted but feeling good. The smiles on the faces of the homeowners made all of the hard work worth it.