NEW LONDON (NBC 26) — The Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity has kicked off its Rock the Block event in New London through Sept. 18.
Rock the Block is a neighborhood revitalization project helping to fix the exteriors of homes for 25 to 30 families in the New London area.
"The idea is to beautify the neighborhood and help out families who need a little bit of a boost," said Eric Cernjar, director of marketing for Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity. "At the end of the day, they are still covering costs, but this is more of a 0% loan, and an ability for them to pay for it and take care of some much-needed repairs that they might not be able to otherwise."
Rock the Block is made possible through the help of hundreds of volunteers and organizations.
"It’s predominantly exterior projects, so some mulching, weeding and that kind of stuff," Cernjar said. "And some homes are more involved like this one where we have 12 yards of dirt that we’re moving around, and changing their entire landscape."
Rock the Block provides zero-interest loan payments for external repairs to homes in a specific neighborhood.
“My husband and I have three children and two of them suffer from genetic disorders," said Karen Hidde, Rock the Block program homeowner. "We’ve put all of our money and time into medical expenses and care for our kids that our house was falling short of its needs, and we were unable to pay for the repairs we knew it needed. When Habitat for Humanity started advertising that they were bringing Rock the Block to New London my husband and I immediately knew this was our shot. With the help of the Habitat for Humanity program, we will be able to provide the kind of home we want for our children.”
Previous Rock the Block event neighborhoods have seen:
- 22 percent decrease in police calls
- 42 percent decrease in property damage
- 54 percent decrease in ordinance complaints
- 84 percent decrease in noise complaints
- 58 percent decrease in drug-related incidents
- 75 percent decrease in domestic abuse-related incidents
“This program is so important because we are improving the lives of not just the family living in the home we are repairing, but also the entire neighborhood and community," said John Weyenberg, CEO of Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity. "It makes a huge difference. In Karen (Hidde)’s case, we are replacing the roof, siding and windows, getting her brand-new doors with locks, garage doors, light fixtures, motion-sensor lights, new house numbers, a new doorbell, gutters, soffits, fascia, porch and landscaping. When it’s finished it will not only look like a new house, it will also improve the value of the homes in their neighborhood.”
To learn more, or if you would like to volunteer for Rock the Block New London, visit foxcitieshabitat.org/programs/rock-the-block.
