(Home Owner Maintenance and Enhancement for Seniors)

HOMES stands for Home Owner Maintenance and Enhancement for Seniors, and is a program for homeowners over the age of sixty who are unable to perform, obtain or afford certain repairs in their homes. SCS completes nearly 200 projects each year, providing minor home repairs, enhancements (inside and out) and household chores to senior homeowners (age 60 and over) living in metro Atlanta - Projects that help these seniors continue to live in their own homes more safely.

How do the seniors of tomorrow measure "quality of life"? An AARP surveys reveal that "aging in place" is associated with greater quality of life. Older adults desire to stay in their familiar homes and communities for as long as possible (1) .

The benefits of community aging services like the HOMES program extend beyond those felt by our senior clients. According to the National Care planning Council Director, Thomas Day, the cost for maintaining one elderly person in a nursing home under Medicaid is about 50 times the cost of providing services to help an older American remain in the community (2) . Expanding home and community-based services for older adults is a cost-saving strategy advocated by many.

The HOMES' program utilizes volunteers together with our team of professionals to provide repairs for low-income seniors who own their homes in Fulton County. We also accept donations of materials and tools from businesses. Labor is always free to qualifying seniors, materials are paid for by the senior only if their financial situation allows.

Almost every Saturday, the HOMES team of staff and volunteers go to work on the houses of pre-qualified clients. The Homes teams take on a variety of projects: painting, drywall repair, caulking, lawn/yard maintenance, gutter cleaning/repair, minor carpentry and repair, installation of assistive devices such as grab bars, even changing light bulbs, etc. Our professional volunteers take on the more complicated electrical and plumbing repairs. As a HOMES volunteer, you will have a direct impact on improving the quality of life of Atlanta's seniors.

Our Wisdom Works program specifically targets volunteers over the age of 50 to assist seniors with home repair. Through a grant provided by the National Council on Aging and the MetLife Foundation, SCS is committed to fostering on-going senior-to-senior volunteer projects.

Corporate teams of volunteers also commit to HOMES projects throughout the year. We can accommodate 20 to 200 people (depending on pre-planning time) in group projects that give our corporate volunteer squads a feel-good day of team-building. Individual or family volunteers may serve as often as they choose and at times that are convenient to them. All volunteers are allowed to pick the jobs that they feel comfortable doing.

Volunteers are the heart of our program and your support makes a difference! Your contribution of time or money will enable SCS to continue to provide this vital service to seniors allowing them to continue to enrich the communities in which they live.

1) AARP Studies: 2003-“These Four Walls”, 2002-2006-Member Priority Reports
2) National Care Planning Council

SCS helps seniors repair and maintain their homes when they can’t do it for themselves.