Press Releases

• HomeAid To Dedicate Phase 1 of the Village at Walpert Center

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

  CONTACTS:
  Cheryl O'Connor | HomeAid Northern California | 925.768.0234 | coconnor@homeaidnc.org
  Gus Nodal | Infinite PR | 415.732.7825 | gnodal@infinitepr.com

  Hayward, Calif. (July 8, 2010) – HomeAid Northern California will dedicate Phase 1 of the Village at Walpert Center, its 9th project, but first home for developmentally disabled seniors, Friday, July 16th at 12:00 noon. These two 6-bedroom homes, part of a larger project which includes three more identical homes and is slated to open for use by late-summer 2010, is the culmination of four years of hard work by builder captains Pulte Group, Ponderosa Homes, Meritage Homes and William Lyon Homes, Emerald Glen, and The Walpert Center and many subcontractors, suppliers and consultants.

  Roughly 50 percent of the cost of Village at Walpert Center Phase 1 came by way of donations. HEDCO Foundation donated $100,000.00 towards the foundations of the five homes.

  “We have been very impressed by the enthusiasm, generosity and follow-through of the builder captains and their trade partners who adopted this project,” said Julie O’Connor, Executive Director of HomeAid Northern California. “They stayed the course through permit delays, weather issues, and the many challenges that come with coordinating dozens of separate companies to accomplish one goal.”

  The Village at Walpert Center is the first project of its kind in Alameda County and the type of project HomeAid Northern California is proud to show as a model for future collaborations. "I think we were particularly interested because this project dealt with a segment of the population that is both overlooked and underserved, Developmentally Disabled Seniors—or better put, “Adult Orphans” says Jeff Scofield, Area Director of Purchasing for Pulte Group of Pleasanton, California. “For the first time in history, the developmentally disabled are outliving their parents” continued Scofield.

  Co-builder captain Ralph Walker of Ponderosa Homes stated, “Getting involved with HomeAid is so fulfilling. It really becomes more about personal fulfillment than what you might gain otherwise." Trade partners who worked with us on the Village at Walpert Center have been the same ones who step up time and time again.” continued Walker.

  “HomeAid is a charitable organization the home building industry can really rally around,” stated Brian Barry, who represented builder captain, Meritage Homes. “It is great to be able to give back in a way that allows us to use our talents so that more people, particularly those who are the most vulnerable, can live in safe, dignified environments.”

  In the 10 years since its inception, HomeAid Northern California has built and furnished nine shelters, totalling 504 beds. In partnership with the organization’s Care Providers, HomeAid Northern California has had the resources to change more than 6,600 lives. Current projects under development are Mission Solano Bridge to Life Center, Fairfield, Ca., Shepherd’s Gate Life Center, Livermore and Downtown Street Team in San Jose.

  About Homeaid
  HomeAid Northern California is a 501c(3) non-profit organization founded in 1999 as the charitable arm of the Home Builders Association of Northern California. One of the region's most active homeless agencies, HomeAid has built shelters for the transitionally homeless in nearly every county in the San Francisco Bay Area in collaboration with the homebuilding industry and its vendors, partners and suppliers. In addition to providing a safe, comfortable home, the shelters typically offer counseling and job training as core components of their programs.

  HomeAid is currently building additions to the planned 34,000 sq. ft. Mission Solano Bridge to Life Center in Fairfield, CA, which currently has the capacity to house 122 residents. Once completed, the facility will house 162 residents, making it the second largest HomeAid shelter in the USA. Other projects in the works include construction of a new facility at Shepherd's Gate in Livermore, CA; renovation of the First Christian Church in downtown San Jose, CA to provide housing and job training through the Downtown Streets Team project; and renovation of a new Oakland, CA site for DreamCatcher, Alameda County's only emergency shelter for homeless teenagers. A complete list of current and completed shelters can be found here.

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  For more information about HomeAid, including its completed and pending shelter projects, visit www.homeaidnc.org. To arrange an interview please contact Cheryl O'Connor, 925.768.0234, coconnor@homeaidnc.org, or Gus Nodal at Infinite Public Relations, (415) 732-7825, gnodal@infinitepr.com.