The 'Brush with Kindness' program by Paris/Lamar County Habitat for Humanity is dedicated to assisting low-income homeowners facing challenges such as age, disability, or family circumstances, who find it difficult to upkeep the exteriors of their homes.
What is "A Brush with Kindness"?
A Brush with Kindness is a Habitat program that mobilizes volunteers to provide exterior home maintenance assistance to low-income homeowners. It addresses a critical and often overlooked need: After years of deferred maintenance, homes fall into disrepair. This can lead to a downward spiral: code citations, the loss of homeowner insurance, and ultimately mortgage foreclosure. These effects hurt not just individual homeowners, but also entire neighborhoods. In most metropolitan areas, few housing programs help low-income homeowners with their housing maintenance issues.
Under this program model, homeowners are eligible to participate in A Brush with Kindness based on factors such as the condition of the home, income, and a demonstration of challenging circumstances such as disability, illness or age that prevent them from doing the work by themselves. Qualifying homeowners contribute sweat equity by working side by side with volunteers to complete the work if they are able.
Volunteers perform the vast majority of all the work on these homes. Volunteers are recruited through businesses, churches and community groups. Volunteer teams of various sizes are matched with homeowners to work on and complete assigned tasks.
Who Does "A Brush with Kindness" Help?
- Homeowners who are living in their home full time.
- People whose homes are in visible disrepair and they are unable to afford exterior paint repairs.
- People facing a city code violation or insurance policy cancellation.
- Clients who are single parents, elderly, disabled, or veterans.
Are you a homeowner?
If you are a homeowner or know someone who is interested in A Brush With Kindness, please fill out the form below and we will get in touch with you as soon as possible!
Eligibility Requirements
- All able-bodied homeowners and residents of the home are required to work 8-16 hours alongside volunteers.
- Homeowners are expected to be cooperative partners with staff and volunteers.
- Repairs needed must match the scope of the “A Brush with Kindness” program. (Paint only)
- Meet Income Guidelines
- Provide Income Tax Return for Income Verification
Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.
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