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This time last year, we shared a post about the Dowling Home Maintenance Fund, which was established in 2019 to honor the retirement of CHT’s long-time Executive Director, Robert Dowling. The fund can be accessed by CHT homeowners to complete repairs that are essential to their health, safety, and the long-term maintenance of their homes but fall outside the list of major expenses covered by our Stewardship Program. CHT homeowners can apply for a loan from the fund, which is provided with no interest and no payments and does not have to be repaid until the home is sold. The fund had an initial investment of $60,000 in 2019, and the average cost of a repair completed with the fund in 2024 is $3094. 

Last year, on Giving Tuesday, our generous community donated $11,190 to replenish the fund. So now, as we approach Giving Tuesday again this year, we wanted to give you an update on how those donations have been spent in 2024: 

• $4918.13 was used to repair a dangerous deck 

• $5000 partially covered an HVAC replacement 

• $3625 funded the repair of a front porch and stairs that had deteriorated  

• $960 covered the removal of tree limbs that were threatening a house 

• And $969.66 helped cover a sewer plumbing repair project  

That’s $15,472.79 in total costs covered for five CHT homeowners to help keep their homes safe, healthy, and affordable! We’re so grateful to all our donors whose support made those repairs possible because without this fund, those homeowners would not have been able to afford them. We were able to say YES to helping them fund their essential repairs because of the generosity of our community! 

The homeowner whose front porch and steps were repaired shared why access to the Dowling Home Maintenance Fund was so important to her:  

I am almost 77 years old and my finances mean I need to age in place. I have uncorrectable vision problems that affect vision clarity and depth perception, as the result of some falls I took. The staircase that was repaired is the only way in and out of the condo. Before the repairs, treads had big cracks in them where the wood was raised in spots. This was a tripping hazard. The repair smoothed out the treads so they are no longer a tripping hazard. This is a huge improvement in safety. The rail was all splintered, and those boards were replaced and the edges rounded, so it’s safe to hold onto now.

Coming up with $4,500 is just not possible for many lower income people who qualify for these units. Donations that go to maintaining properties means they can be passed on in good condition to future generations of CHT homeowners. This is a cost effective program that is a godsend for lower income owners like me, who are facing a large bill for essential maintenance. And the money comes back into the fund when the home is passed to the next homeowner.

Next year, with the cost of construction increasing, we’re preparing for even more homeowners to apply for essential loans from the Dowling Home Maintenance Fund. That’s why we’ve set the ambitious Giving Tuesday goal of $15,000 to ensure we have the funds we need to support those requests. 

Giving Tuesday is December 3, but we’re ready to receive your donations now. Click here to help us ensure we can say YES to more repairs like the front porch steps that are making it possible for our homeowner to age in place.