Our Mission and Impact
Rebuilding Together Houston is the region’s expert in home repair and disaster recovery. We believe that everyone has a right to a safe, healthy, and resilient home that protects them against disaster. Low-income homeowners, including veterans, seniors, and working families are living in homes that are hazardous to their health. Without our services, the families we serve are in danger of potential displacement and homelessness. We estimate that over 100,000 low-income families in Houston and Harris County need our services.
Rebuilding Together Houston is the only organization in our region to provide free home repairs for hundreds of families annually. We employ licensed contractors to return homes to a safe condition, adding 20 years or more of life to each home, protecting families against health hazards such as leaking roofs, collapsing floors, dangerous electrical systems, no hot water, and lack of heat or air conditioning.
In the last 43 years, we have served more than 15,000 neighbors at no cost to them. Our work improves the safety and structural integrity of homes that are passed down from generation to generation, helping to preserve the character of Houston neighborhoods by keeping families in communities they helped to build. For the cost of building one new house, we can repair up to 12.
Our Mission
Repairing Homes. Revitalizing Communities. Rebuilding Lives.
Our Vision
Safe homes and communities for everyone.
Our History
Robert Mosbacher, Jr.
Rebuilding Together Houston's history began in 1982, as Private Sector Initiative. Houstonian Robert Mosbacher Jr. founded the organization based on his work with the Reagan White House, and specifically the Private Sector Initiatives program, which called on volunteerism to supplement government programs for those in need.
In 2003, Private Sector Initiative became Rebuilding Together Houston, an affiliate of a national network of organizations with the purpose of providing low-income elderly, U.S. Military Veterans, and working families in need with critical home repairs, accessibility modifications, and energy-efficient upgrades at no cost to the homeowner.
Our Impact
From 2019 to 2021, Rebuilding Together partnered with an external evaluator to conduct impact measurement based on desired outcomes of our core practice model, Safe and Healthy Housing. These surveys were conducted across the United States and over 1,000 homes were assessed and 450 homeowners were interviewed, asking them about the changes they experienced since the repairs were made. Impact measurement touched on six domains: Community Connection (inclusion and retention of housing stock), Safety, Physical Health, Mental Health, Economic Security, and Independence.
