History
Rebuilding Together Long Island’s
mission is to preserve and revitalize houses and communities,
assuring that low-income homeowners who are either elderly,
disabled and/or single-parent families, live in comfort and
safety while maintaining their independence.
Sixteenn years ago, two retirees working together
as Habitat for Humanity volunteers realized the need for an organization
specializing in home repairs for needy Long Islanders. They had
heard about a national organization called Rebuilding Together
that was starting affiliates across America and was an all-volunteer
nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and revitalizing
low-income houses and communities. With some commitment, dedication
and support, Rebuilding Together Long Island was born. In the
last fifteen years RTLI has provided repairs to over 1500 low-income
homeowners at a pace of one hundred projects annually within
Nassau and Suffolk Counties. RTLI has been volunteer driven for
the last fifteen years and has grown to where it now has a full-time
paid Executive Director.
For each dollar we receive from the community we provide at least $4 of leverage. Volunteers perform the vast majority of the work we do. Much of the materials we use for repairs are either donated or sold to us at special discounts. We presently use home offices to avoid any rental fees. Volunteers and friends provide the necessary trucks to haul materials although occasionally we must rent a truck. Our sponsors usually provide lunches. Our staff is a paid full-time Executive Director and the rest are volunteers. They are all devoted to the mission and very efficient.
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