Mission
We seek to bring people (communities) together to repair, maintain and modify homes for homeowners who are not able to do so either physically or monetarily. Under One Roof's focus is to help homeowners remain in their homes in a safe and decent environment within the community.
Mission Principles:
- Develop a volunteer community that supports and advocates our mission
- Through our actions promote dignity and hope for the families and community we serve
- Be knowledgeable of local, state and federal issues regarding the aging in place and partner with other organizations to initiate and strengthen our impact in the community
- Seek private giving and donations to support our mission and ensure transparency of funding and expenses and avoidance of conflict of interests
- Maintain the highest ethical standards through fairness in policies and procedures
- To view our work as transformational in the lives of the families and community that we serve when we have facilitated a positive and lasting change for good
- Demonstrate responsible stewardship of all resources entrusted to Under One Roof
Core Values:
Under One Roof treats all people with dignity and respect. We honor the principles or honesty and fairness. We recognize and respond to others in a caring manner. We strive to be financially, socially and environmentaly responsible. We welcome the challenge to continually improve our program.
Impact
PAST YEAR ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
1. Completed an extensive year-long project to repair the home of a local teacher (age 63) whose home was significantly damaged by fire. A restricted fund was set up for the project, which was designed to assess our capability to tackle projects with a larger scope of work than is typical for Under One Roof. While the project was deemed a success, it was determined that we should continue to execute smaller projects in order to address the need of more homeowners in a given year.
2. Secured (recently) an office/warehouse space, giving us a physical location in Beaufort where volunteers and applicants can come together. The space will also serve as storage for project materials, some of which may be sold to raise funds for the organization.
3. Worked with SCORE to begin a Strategic Planning process. Project had to be put on hold due to vacancies that arose on the Board, however the groundwork has been laid to continue when the vacancies are filled.
4. Implemented three other projects (while also in progress on the large project noted above) including construction of wheelchair ramps and repairs to roofs and decks.
NEXT YEAR'S GOALS:
1. Recruit three to four new Board Members.
2. Help 15-20 families repair, maintain or modify their homes.
3. Complete set up of the new office/warehouse space, implement volunteer office staffing and promote the new location to raise awareness of the organization and make Under One Roof more accessible to those needing our services.
3. Continue the Strategic Planning process where we left off, involving the new Board Members in the creation of a short and long-term Strategic Plan for the organization.
4. Continue to pursue grants but seek additional sources of funding, including but not limited to the sale of salvaged materials from the office/warehouse space.
Needs
1. Board Members
2. Volunteers for office staff and projects
3. PR service/volunteer to raise awareness of Under One Roof among constitutents
4. Grant writing assistance
5. Funding - local grants continue to be the biggest source of funding for Under One Roof. We will continue to pursue these but need to consider other revenue sources including, but not limited to, the sale of construction materials out of the new warehouse space.
CEO/Executive Director Statement
Under One Roof is a 501C3 non-profit established in 2010 to assist the Aging in Place homeowner in Beaufort County.
Our organization provides help in the form of repairs, modifications and maintenance in order to keep the homeowner in a safe and familiar environment as long as possible. We have been consistently serving 8-10 Aging in Place homeowners on a per year basis, but our goal is to double or even triple the number of families served in the next two years. Under One Roof endeavors to grow to become a vital part of the Beaufort community’s ever-increasing Aging in Place population.
Initially, our projects were small and required minimal materials and labor. We installed safety bars, repaired roof leaks, repaired wood rot, replaced windows and doors and added lighting in dark hallways. Some of the projects we are now involved with require larger sums of money and are more labor intensive. We now modify showers to make them zero thresholds (giving easy access for homeowners with walking problems), we add permanent ramps for wheelchair bound individuals (giving them access to the community where previously there was none), and we modify doorways and hallways for increased mobility.
Until 2013, we were primarily self-funded. We are currently applying for local grants to allow us to serve more Aging in Place families. We also accept donations of materials for some of our projects from local businesses and other agencies.
Our Board of Directors was set up in mid-July 2011 and has since been working to establish Under One Roof’s footprint in the community. Our online presence (website and Facebook page) is updated by a Board Member and we are pursuing other Social Media outlets to increase awareness in the community. Until recently, the Board of Directors had been meeting monthly at USCB, but meetings are now held at our “new” office/warehouse located at 2735 Depot Road in Beaufort. We are planning to utilize the warehouse to store tools and materials that we use for our projects and will plan scheduled “yard sales” from the salvaged items we receive from homeowners and contractors, adding another income stream for the organization.
Now that are operating out of a physical space, we are very excited to welcome new volunteers. There are many opportunities to help Under One Roof and the Aging in Place community.
Richard Drake, Founder and Executive Director
Board Chair Statement
I have been involved with Under One Roof almost since its inception and I have witnessed first-hand the positive impact it has had on Beaufort's Aging in Place population. I have seen it grow and yet I also know well the obstacles we still strive to overcome.
The reason I become involved with Under One Roof is the powerful opportunity we have to give Aging in Place homeowners - many of whom have been house-bound for a long time - freedom. By adding a wheelchair ramp where there was none, we give them the chance to visit friends and family, go shopping, go to church....to once again feel connected to the community.
By financially and physically providing resources for even minor home repairs and modifications, Under One Roof gives homeowners the dignity of remaining safely in their homes. This improves the lives not only of the individual homeowner but very often extended family who live with them. Adult children who may have been caretakers can return to work. Grandchildren in the home now have a safer environment. The benefits of the work that we do are positively affecting generations by simply giving them the chance to remain safely in their homes.
One of our greatest challenges has been finding committed Board Members and volunteers. In particular, I feel strongly that we need to get more men involved. Our Board is comprised of compassionate and dedicated women, but other than our Founder/Executive Director, but we would benefit from having a greater diversity of voices. We have sought advice from consultants and SCORE and have presented for various community groups including Leadership Beaufort, church groups and volunteer fairs.
Pat Claiborne, President, Board of Directors