History

Residents of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County are served by one of 200 chapters of Rebuilding Together nationwide, with the first chapter founded in 1973 in Midland, Texas. While each chapter is independent and serves only its local communities, together our association allows working and learning to identify and implement mutually beneficial strategies, activities and programs. As well, it allows enlisting national resources for use in local areas, most of which would be inaccessible to local, community based organizations.

Originally named Christmas in April, this organization grew out of the urgent need for better housing and refreshed deteriorating local community neighborhoods. As well, escalating hospital, rehabilitation and recovery costs were driving elderly, poor and disabled people to return to homes unequipped for living with their physical circumstances. Increasingly, there was a need to provide safety diagnosing and addressing home safety needs in older housing, such as grab bars, handrails, modified bathrooms, improved lighting and smoke and CO alarms.

Traditionally, the major emphasis and portion of repair work occurred on National Rebuilding Day, the last Saturday of every April, thus the original name. Today, the growing need to provide emergency, ongoing repair and renovation services has led the national office to expand and broaden its work and in turn, change the name of the organization in January 2001.

RTP completed its first project in 1993. Four hundred volunteers repaired ten homes the first year.