Rebuilding Together chief gets award

As president of Rebuilding Together Long Island, an organization that repairs and rehabilitates homes, Sol Goldstein has been hammering home his motto for 20 years. "The edict that we use is keeping the client safe, warm and comfortable," he says.

But Goldstein's clients are unlike those of typical home-repair companies. They are exclusively low-income, elderly, disabled or veterans. And perhaps what makes Rebuilding Together (known years ago as Christmas in April) most different is it doesn't charge homeowners anything for the repairs. The company is a 501(c) (3) corporation, a tax status given to firms operated exclusively for charitable reasons.

In recognition of his work, Goldstein, 80, was one of 10 seniors from around the country honored with this year's Older Volunteers Enrich America Award from the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging and MetLife Foundation. He was the only award winner from the New York area. "It was humbling," Goldstein says.

If Goldstein has a regret, it's that Rebuilding Together can't do as much as it did in the past. The organization relies on donations and grants, and both have been hit by the tight economy. Government grant money, especially, has dried up, Goldstein says. "We used to do roofs, we used to do handicap bathrooms, but we can't do that anymore," he says. "We don't have $10,000 to put in a house."

Still, Rebuilding Together, which is based in North Massapequa, does work on about 100 houses a year. Of the 300 volunteers, about 100 of them do the repair work. Before a homeowner can get help, there are several requirements, including income verification. And be aware, it takes time to get approved, so Rebuilding Together is not the place to call for emergency repairs. "We're not capable of handling something like that," Goldstein explains.

Among the fixes Goldstein and his crew routinely do inside the house are light plumbing, such as faucet repair and light electrical work such as replacing switches and outlets, as well as weatherproofing windows and doors. But more and more, Goldstein is helping disabled homeowners who find it difficult, if not impossible, to leave their house. "We just finished our 185th wheelchair ramp," Goldstein says. "We give priority to people who are absolutely confined to their house."

To find out more about the requirements to get help, to volunteer or to donate to the organization, go to rebuildingtogetherlongisland.org or call 516-541-7322.