Rebuilding Together Greater Milwaukee (RTGM) is a private nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve and revitalize homes and communities, assuring that very low-income elderly homeowners and disabled homeowners, as well as families with children, live in warmth, safety and independence. Rebuilding Together Greater Milwaukee is organized and operated for the purpose helping Milwaukee senior’s age with dignity and peace, in their own homes, by providing free repairs to elderly and disabled very low-income homeowners residing in Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties.

If Rebuilding Together Greater Milwaukee could not help these homeowners, they could be forced to move, due to health and safety issues raised by the disrepair of their house and their inability to pay for the repairs. These repairs are performed at no cost to the homeowner by an army of volunteers, many of whom are affiliated with corporate sponsors and building trades industries in Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties.

* construction of ramps to assist disabled persons with access
* installation of grab bars in bathrooms
* reinforcing or adding hand rails and guard rails at stairways, porches and landings
* painting, plumbing, electrical, and roof work
* repair of worn out materials and/or equipment; and
* general fix up, clean up and painting.

The work is performed in a county-wide event called a Rebuilding Day. Rebuilding Day happens once a year, a single day on which volunteers work on a number of homes. The homes are pre-selected, and the homeowners are certified as being qualified by a Site Selection Committee. House Captains are assigned a house, and a site visit follows to determine a scope of work. Material needs for the houses are identified, and then solicited from local manufacturers and distributors. If enough volunteers are unavailable, skilled trades people complete the work needed on each house. Material needs for the houses are identified then solicited from local manufacturers and distributors. Additional materials not available from these sources are purchased with donated funds given towards each specific house by a local business. Once the materials are ordered, they are delivered to the site prior to the Rebuilding Day. On the morning of the Rebuilding Day, volunteers arrive at the houses and begin performing the tasks determined by the House Captains.

Since 2000, RTGM has completed 352 projects in Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties:
* Completed improvements and repairs on an average of one home per week
* Provided over $5.6 million in free, professional-quality home repairs
* Served over 614 people
* Involved 5,830 volunteers investing 51,830 hours.

Our services assist Milwaukee area residents by providing free professional-quality repairs through the following services:

* Rebuilding Day: Our signature one-day event held in spring and fall in Milwaukee and Waukesha neighborhoods. Roughly 1/3 of all home projects are done on these two days.
* Emergency Repair Services: The only free, emergency, professional-quality repair service in Milwaukee. Year-round service that delivers home repairs, accessibility modifications and green building adaptations to conserve energy and reduce waste.
* Corporate Day: A one-day commitment for local businesses to sponsor repairs and updates on a selected home. Employees are given a teambuilding experience as they work on home repairs, updates, and modifications on homes. Homeowners are given free repairs based around the sponsor’s availability of manpower and resources.
* Veteran Homes: Fills the gaps in housing modifications and repair services that retired and active service men and women struggle to meet. Often, this includes accessibility modifications for wounded veterans whose physical mobility is reduced.

* Remodeled 120 homes
* Served 260 people
* Had over 2,865 volunteers donate over 28,300 volunteer hours
* Contributed over $2.3 million in market value

Your support helps Rebuilding Together provide comfort, warmth and independence for low-income elderly and disabled homeowners. To volunteer your time and skills or to becoming a Rebuilding Together sponsor , please complete our brief online form. Donations to help support the work of Rebuilding Together are also welcome in any amount.