Wells Fargo Foundation Awards $7.5M to Habitat for Humanity to Build, Repair Homes

The Wells Fargo Foundation has given a $7.5 million grant to Habitat for Humanity International to help make homes more affordable and accessible. Through the 2023 Wells Fargo Builds program, the grant funding will enable local Habitat for Humanity affiliates to build and repair more than 360 homes nationwide, including accessibility modifications to meet the needs of low-income older adults and people with disabilities.

The grant was announced in Des Moines, Iowa as part of a citywide repair event with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity where roughly 130 volunteers completed critical home repairs and updates to help up to a dozen local homeowners. In Iowa and across the U.S., roughly 20% of the population will be 65 or older by 2030. Yet more than 19 million older adults are living in homes that are in disrepair or ill-equipped to meet changing mobility needs around the home, according to Habitat for Humanity International.

As part of the week-long Wells Fargo Builds project, volunteers installed home modifications such as grab bars and wheelchair ramps for homeowners like Robert, a 66-year-old who needed to make his house more accessible for himself and two adult children who use wheelchairs. Jessi, a social worker with two young children at home, now has an updated front porch with sturdy new steps and railings. These modifications will help prevent falls during Iowa’s harsh winters and enable the homeowner to maintain the condition of her home, which is often a family’s greatest asset.