Rebuilding homes for better living in Silicon Valley
San Jose nonprofit organization reaches older, disabled homeowners
Vianey Villegas bought her home in South San Jose nearly two decades ago.
The three-bedroom on San Ramon Way met her needs — a safe neighborhood, good schools for her three children and near her business on Hillsdale Avenue, Bonita Cleaners.
But over the past a few years, health ailments have taken her away from her shop. She undergoes lengthy dialysis three times a week. And her limited finances have forced her to delay costly home repairs — a leaky roof, creeping mold and an unreliable water heater and furnace. Her income from disability and savings is “just enough to pay my mortgage and no more,” she said. “I’m struggling with my home repairs and my health.”
For many older homeowners in the Bay Area, a fixed income means a limited budget for home repairs, no matter how urgent. That’s where Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley steps in, helping Villegas and others like her in desperate need of safety upgrades and renovations.
The San Jose-based nonprofit helps older and disabled residents fix up their homes — roofs, furnaces, water heaters, kitchen appliances and more — that have fallen into disrepair. Last year, the agency completed 423 renovation projects at homes and community centers in Santa Clara County.
The repairs initially focus on safety concerns, installing smoke and carbon dioxide alarms, and fitting bathrooms and living areas with safety features, said Executive Director Deanne Everton.
The nonprofit is seeking $20,000 in Wish Book donations to finish repairing Villegas’ home as it strives to fulfill its mission to preserve affordable housing in an increasingly unaffordable region. The median price for a home in Santa Clara County was $1 million in August — about four times the national average.
“We’re not always able to meet all of our needs,” Everton said.
Rebuilding Together has been helping families since 1991 — through many boom-and-bust cycles of Bay Area housing. Most of the nonprofit’s $2.9 million in revenues come from local governments, including Santa Clara County and the the cities of San Jose, Morgan Hill and Gilroy.
Villegas, 61, came from Mexico 30 years ago, speaking only Spanish but willing to work 12 hours a day with a family member at a San Jose dry cleaner. She worked her way up from pressing clothes to managing the shop.
She made sure her children got to school, worked from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and took English classes at night. After nine years, she bought out the owners
of the business and ran it as a small, family dry cleaner.
Despite being a single mother and first-time buyer, the small-business owner found a comfortable home for her adult children and grandchildren — a house that quickly became a hub for family and neighbors.
Not long after she moved in, the home attracted neighborhood kids playing with her grandchildren and picking oranges and avocados from the backyard trees.
In the suburban South San Jose neighborhood filled with ranch homes, longtime neighbors still watch out for one another, she said. “I’m so happy to be here,” she said. “I’m so blessed.”
Villegas’s home repairs are typical of the projects Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley tackles, Everton said. The agency wants to help older residents stay in their homes, where they’re connected to their communities and partners with government agencies, faith communities and service groups to accomplish its goals.
Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley repairs are done at no cost to homeowners. Volunteer workers tackle the projects, with materials and supplies donated or bought at discount from suppliers. The nonprofit estimates it provides $9 worth of repairs for every $1 donation.
Work began on Villegas’ home in September.
Since then, Rebuilding Together volunteers have installed shower grips, a hot water heater and smoke and carbon dioxide detectors. They’ve stripped drywall covered in black mold — the consequences of a leaky roof during the rainy season. They also plan to replace the entire roof and damaged drywall and repaint the home inside and out.
In all, the repairs are expected to total twice the $10,000 down payment she made for the home many years ago. Villegas is grateful for the help and a chance to remain in a community she considers home.
“I don’t want to move around,” she said. “I’d like to stay here.”