Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 7, 1994 TAG: 9409070070
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By PETER S. WILLIS CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
"We're trying to develop a task force of local citizens to do small and emergency home repair for low-income people," said Tom Matuk, a representative of Volunteers in Service to America, better known as VISTA.
Matuk organized a roundtable last week to address housing problems in Giles, Pulaski, Floyd and Montgomery counties and the city of Radford.
He wants an umbrella organization to coordinate resources and volunteers from a variety of programs already in existence.
There is definitely a need for a comprehensive program for housing repairs, according to Bill Dawson, chairman of the board of directors for New River Community Action.
"In Pulaski County alone, there is a backlog of 70 to 100 homes that need repair," Dawson said.
Other New River localities face the same problem, said Rose Teixeira, a representative of Habitat for Humanity.
Developing a skilled and unskilled labor pool for each county through volunteers tops the group's list of goals, Matuk said.
"There is a problem getting the skilled labor we need as volunteers," agreed Jean Parks, Giles County area director of New River Community Action. "Substandard housing and poor living conditions are common in the New River Valley."
According to statistics provided by New River Community Action, almost 20 percent of residents within the New River Valley are below the poverty line, and more than 3,000 housing units are substandard.
Habitat for Humanity has had some success with volunteers supporting their program. "Our largest volunteer pool is the Virginia Tech chapter. They are very active and supportive," Teixeira said.
Volunteers are the key to any repair program's success, said Billy Weitzenfeld, who is with New River Community Action's weatherization program and also VISTA supervisor. "A lot of times these repairs don't require money, but they require labor."
The task force is in the early stages of development, and Matuk wants to ensure that it develops into an effective organization. "Right now, what we're hoping to do is develop a good plan on how this [task force] operates," he said. "We shouldn't be dependent on Montgomery people going to Floyd, or Giles money going to Pulaski."
Individuals and organizations interested in participating in the task force can contact Matuk at 382-0759 or Weitzenfeld at 382-1975.
by CNB