Who We Are

Our Vision

Kalamazoo County transformed by people thriving in sustainable homes.

We know that low-income families face many challenges and we believe that one of the first steps to moving forward is working to create a more stable and sustainable home environment. Often that starts with addressing critical repairs that a homeowner is not able to afford. But at Community Homeworks we are committed to connecting homeowners to resources and opportunities to make more lasting change.

Our Mission

Empowering our neighbors to maintain safe, stable, and sustainable homes for generations.

Founded in 2009 with the goal of closing the gaps in post-purchase support for low income homeowners in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Community Homeworks’ programs are designed to help keep people in their homes and develop homeowner self-sufficiency while ensuring that their homes are safe, decent and sustainable.

Our programs provide a comprehensive package of solutions for making housing affordable, comfortable, and secure. Programs are critical home repairs and education workshops on home maintenance and repairs.

Man repairing a pipe under sink

Our values

We strive to embody the following core values as an organization:

  • Love

    Our motivation, our aim, and our legacy in everything we do. Love gives people a greater sense of belonging, meaning, and value.

  • Equity

    We welcome everyone to join us in our mission. We strive to identify and eliminate barriers that prevent full participation.

  • Empowerment

    We strive to activate the unique potential in each of us.

  • Collaboration

    We achieve the greatest impact when we combine our strengths.

  • Excellence

    We hold ourselves to the highest standards in all that we do for our clients, ourselves, and our community.

  • Integrity

    We act ethically and do the right thing, even when it is not convenient.

Our Impact

Community Homeworks provides the resources to our neighbors to make necessary repairs affordable, to provide long-term reduction in housing costs through energy savings, and to make homes safer and healthier. 

During the 2023 program year, our organization had the following results:

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Households Served
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Plumbing-Related Projects
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HVAC Appliance Installs
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Electrical-Related Projects
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Workshops Conducted
  • Kalamazoo County has the 18th highest poverty rate in the state of Michigan

    With an overall poverty rate of 18.6% 83% of all poverty within the county is concentrated in the City of Kalamazoo and the surrounding areas of Oshtemo, Portage City, and Kalamazoo Township.

  • More than half of the residents of the City of Kalamazoo live at 200% of poverty or less

    Per the United Way Alice Report – Michigan (2019), the Household Survival Budget reflects the bare minimum cost to live and work. It does not include savings for emergencies or future goals. In Kalamazoo County in 2017, the average Household Survival Budget was $66,528 for a four-person family. There were 28,996 households in the city of Kalamazoo, and 58% were below the ALICE threshold.

  • Nearly 30% of owner-occupied households in Kalamazoo County are considered housing cost burdened

    Meaning that their housing costs exceed 30% of their household income.

  • More than half of the homes in the City of Kalamazoo are more than 60 years old

    These older homes, typically energy inefficient and costly to maintain and repair, tend to be occupied by lower-income families, adding to their housing cost burden.

Many families in our community are struggling to make ends meet.

Unexpected home repair issues and high utility bills often force families to make tough choices, and often leave them living in stressful, unhealthy, and even unsafe homes.

teamwork makes the dreamwork.