PWC helps homeowners in the Tri-State area with several services

Since its start in 1975, nonprofit construction company People Working Cooperatively has provided more than 250,000 emergency, energy conservation and modification services to homeowners with an average income of about $13,000 per year. PWC’s clients face daily challenges when it comes to homeownership because of aging, illness, disability, job loss or other circumstances.
 
“Our mission is to keep lower income homeowners safe and in their homes,” says Jock Pitts, president of PWC.
 
On a daily basis, PWC’s more than 140 licensed and trained professionals perform about 50 repairs. That adds up to about 14,000 services annually. On top of that, 6,804 volunteers donated a total of 30,351 hours last year. In 2011, these services and volunteer hours benefited 7,647 households in 20 counties in Northern Kentucky, Southeastern Ohio and Western Indiana.
 
Clients can reach PWC 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Employees answer calls around the clock and attempt to fix emergency situations. “If a client has a flood caused by a leaky pipe at midnight, a plumber can’t come out right away,” says Pitts. “So we will ask if the client can get to the water shut-off valve, which will hopefully stop the flooding until we can get a plumber out there in the morning.”
 
In 2011, PWC started a new initiative, Whole Home. It’s a modification service that is available to homeowners who aren’t necessarily lower income, but still need help. Like PWC’s other services, Whole Home allows homeowners to “age in place,” says Pitts.
 
There are five aging specialists on staff at PWC who assess homeowners’ needs and provide services at competitive prices. When Whole Home makes a profit, the money goes back into the services PWC provides for lower income homeowners. If you or someone you know is in need of home modifications, stop by PWC’s Aging in Place showroom in Dent.  
 
Each year, PWC hosts several events to raise money and service clients. The Repair Affair is the annual spring volunteer event that provides home repairs and modifications to homeowners. The Prepare Affair, held in the fall, gets clients’ homes ready for winter. In November, the event reached had a record number of volunteers that serviced a record number of homes (more than 3,000 volunteers and more than 1,100 homes).
 
PWC’s other big event is Oscar Night America, which is held in February on the same night as the Golden Globes. This year’s fundraiser is on Feb. 24, and the theme is “Salute to the King” — with the king being Elvis. The fundraiser is held to bring people into PWC’s world and raise money for the client there might not be funds for, says Pitts. Tickets are $150 per person and can be purchased on PWC’s website.
 
A recent study by the Economics Center at the University of Cincinnati and The Cadmus Group, Inc., shows that PWC is not only improving the lives of its clients, but is strengthening the community as well. According to the Cadmus Report, PWC increases the overall health of its clients by about 44 percent. Out of the 14,000 people served by PWC in 2011, about one-third were children. Kids who live in homes services by PWC are doing better in school because they don’t have to move as much. Because of this, they are able to stay in the same school and keep the same friends. Finally, the value of a home serviced by PWC increases by 6.5 to 10.5 percent over a 10-year period.
 
PWC is the only organization like it in the country. And even though PWC serves a small portion of the overall population, it, and its partners and event sponsors, are making a difference.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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