Two long-standing nonprofit organizations serving low-income homeowners in the Rockbridge area are joining forces to better address critical home repair needs.
Mission Next Door (MND) and Rockbridge Area Habitat for Humanity’s Home Repair Program have announced a working partnership that combines financial resources, experience, and leadership to serve the area’s most vulnerable homeowners.
Mission Next Door, founded in 2008 by Robbie Robertson and Sandy McLaughlin, grew out of a community-based “neighbors helping neighbors” effort and has since completed more than 315 home repair projects across the Rockbridge region. Using primarily volunteer labor, MND has focused on modest but essential repairs such as wheelchair ramp construction, accessible bathroom modifications, porch repairs, and water leak remediation.
Habitat for Humanity’s Home Repair Program shares a similar mission and has collaborated informally with MND in the past. Under the new working agreement, MND will provide shared or full financial support for selected Habitat-led repair projects. Habitat’s program, led by board member Steve Neas, enables qualified homeowners to receive assistance covering 50 to 90 percent of project costs, based on income and need.
Through this partnership, Mission Next Door will continue to prioritize the lowest-income homeowners, particularly those with disabilities, aging in place, and veterans, by fully funding critical accessibility projects such as wheelchair ramps and bathroom conversions.
Leaders from both organizations view the partnership as a practical response to rising repair costs, increasing demand, and a declining pool of volunteer project leaders. By combining resources and aligning strategies, MND and Habitat for Humanity aim to ensure that more Rockbridge-area residents can remain safe and secure in their homes.
Community members interested in volunteering can sign up through the Rockbridge Area Habitat for Humanity website, where opportunities are listed for home repair projects and related service days. Homeowners seeking assistance with critical repairs may apply through the RAHfH Home Repair Program application, also available on the organization’s website or by contacting the RAHfH office directly for more information.
Together, the organizations reaffirm their shared commitment to strengthening the Rockbridge area by helping neighbors remain housed with dignity and independence for years to come, said a spokesperson.
