Rebuild Upstate Surpasses 1,000th Ramp Built to Help Older Adults Age in Place

GREENVILLE, S.C. – During National Older Americans Month, Rebuild Upstate celebrates the completion of its 1,000th accessibility ramp.

Rebuild Upstate serves low-income homeowners by making repairs and accessibility improvements to create safe, livable housing in existing homes and neighborhoods in Greenville, Anderson, Pickens, and Oconee counties. Rebuild Upstate engages community volunteers to build ramps and perform other repairs.

Rebuild Upstate has helped more than 1,800 older adults in its home repair and modification program. Accessibility modifications include grab bar installation, low-step showers, hand-held shower heads, and bench seats.

Rebuild Upstate fills in an important, growing need in helping low-income and cost-burdened older adults age in place. According to the AARP, 77% of Americans want to age at home. Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) 2021 report, The State of the Nation’s Housing, reported that only 3.5 percent of the US housing stock provides all three critical accessibility features—a no-step entry, single-floor living, and extra-wide doorways and halls—that help households with reduced mobility to live safely and comfortably in their homes. JCHS further reports that In South Carolina, 24.9 (or nearly 1 in 4) of older adults in the Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin metro area are currently experiencing cost burdens.

Rebuild Upstate installs repairs and accessibility modifications at no cost to the homeowner, preserving their income for other critical needs while helping older adults age in the community.

In the past 17 years, Rebuild Upstate has been honored with numerous awards including Max Heller Neighborhood Improvement Award from the Greenville Chamber in 2019; Fred R. Sheheen Award for Excellence in Non-Profit Leadership from TogetherSC in 2018; and a three-time winner of the Best Practices Award from the Coalition for Home Repair, the national association of nonprofit home repair organizations.

If you know of a low-income older adult who needs a ramp, referrals can be made online. You can sponsor repairs for homeowners on the waiting list by making a donation today.

About Rebuild Upstate:

Rebuild Upstate is a nonprofit organization serving the Upstate of South Carolina. The nonprofit strengthens the communities by providing volunteers and materials to create a safe, healthy, sustainable home environment for disabled, low-income and elderly homeowners. The organization exclusively focuses on repairs and improving existing homes. The nonprofit is also the reigning Chamber Max Heller award recipient. Learn more at www.rebuildupstate.org.