Three houses in the Fillmore Corridor will be receiving some much-needed repairs and a fresh paint job, thanks to the efforts of several dedicated neighborhood residents.
Last Saturday, the South Fillmore Block Club kicked off the second year of their Adopt-a-House project. Alongside a group of AmeriCorps volunteers and alumni, the block club members began making minor repairs and prepping three houses for painting. They plan to continue the project throughout the month of August, hosting volunteer workdays on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The project began last year when the City of Buffalo released an RFP for the Beautify Buffalo grant, which was designed to encourage the execution of neighborhood beautification projects such as tree plantings and clean-ups. “We asked the City if we could apply for funds for painting houses, since it would be a more impactful project and there is a greater need for that in the Fillmore Corridor,” said Paul Harris, South Fillmore Block Club president. The City gave the thumbs up and they began developing a project scope.
Unfortunately, the Beautify Buffalo grant program funds were not immediately disbursed, but the block club decided to move forward with the Adopt-a-House project regardless. “Oswaldo Mestre from the Division of Citizen Services connected us with Antwan Diggs who supported the project and provided volunteers from Buffalo AmeriCorps,” Harris said. Last year, their group completed repairs and painting of one house and made partial progress on a second house.
This year, the block club received funding from Councilman David Franczyk, who doubled the initial grant amount they sought from Beautify Buffalo. They also received donations of 25 gallons of paint and supplies from Buffalo Paint & Wallpaper on Bailey Avenue, Summerset Painting in Williamsville, and Nina Yahya from R.W. Gaskin and Assoc. These contributions, along with volunteered manpower from Local Laborers Union #210 apprentices will allow them to broaden the scope to include two additional houses, as well as completion of work on one of the homes from last year.
According to Harris, the project specifically targets homeowners who fit into one of three categories: elderly homeowners, homes that are frequented by children, and low-income families. The goal is to help families who cannot afford to fix exterior paint problems, so that they can avoid costly housing court citations. The project will also help alleviate the dangers of lead paint exposure that is a common issue in housing stock in this area of the city. The work will also contribute to the aesthetic revitalization of this corridor – one house at a time.
The block club will be hosting volunteer workdays on August 15, 22, and 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Anyone interested in lending a hand to the Adopt-a-House project can send an email to southfillmoreblockclub@gmail.com.