03 Jan MLM Receives a $15,000 Grant from the Jewish Heritage Foundation

Metro Lutheran Ministries (MLM) recently received a grant for $15,000 from the Jewish Heritage Foundation to provide general operating funds for their Minor Home Repair program.

The Minor Home Repair program is for low-income seniors over 65 years whose households have a combined net income at or below 150% of the federal poverty guideline.  Clients must own, not rent, the house where the repairs will be performed, and clients may not lease any property they own to boarders.  MLM staff and a MHR program volunteer will complete an on-site assessment of the home, estimate work costs, and collect intake paperwork.  Some repairs involving electrical and/or plumbing work will involve getting estimates from and having work performed by contractors.  The MHR program’s team of core volunteers completes repair requests weekly depending on need.  Contracted repairs are scheduled and completed depending on contractor availability.

Elderly persons often do not have the physical means to repair their homes nor the economic means to pay for repairs.  MLM’s Minor Home Repair program provides these services to those under-served in Midtown Kansas City.  The Minor Home Repair program supports “aging in place” or independent living for those low income seniors.  Unstable housing conditions or lack of entry and egress can prevent the full participation of the elderly in the economic and social life of their community.  The MHR program concentrates on repairs that increase security and safety, thereby improving their ability to live independently and with as much dignity as possible.  Typical projects include building wheelchair ramps, installing new door locks, repairing staircase steps, widening doorways for walker/wheelchair access, building handrails for staircases, and installing grab bars in bathrooms.  The MHR program regularly provides and installs smoke detectors, lights, and also air conditioners to clients with health conditions subjecting them to overheating.

In 1971, Lutheran congregations in Kansas City established Metro Lutheran Ministry (MLM) with the motivation to minister to the poor, homeless, elderly and disabled.  Throughout its history, MLM has been one of Kansas City’s pioneering social service agencies, organizing innovative and effective social service and emergency assistance programs to meet the needs of the poorest of the poor.