Helping those in need: St. Joseph’s Helpers serving area seniors, veterans

Suzanne Nolan Wisler

The Monroe News

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As an engineer, Tony Rosati was often asked to help people with home repair projects. Last year, after retiring, Rosati turned helping into a nonprofit organization.

St. Joseph’s Helpers pairs volunteers with veterans, seniors and people with disabilities who need minor home repairs and maintenance.

St. Joseph’s Helpers is based at Rosati’s church, St. Mary in Rockwood, and just celebrated seven months of service. Now, it’s branching out of the Downriver area. In December, it reached Monroe County. Expansion into Washtenaw County and Detroit’s Woodward Corridor are next.

“We’ve had great success in our short time. In seven months we have 100 volunteers. We hope to do 300 repairs this year,” Rosati said.

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He’s finding a steady stream of people who need help.

“People are just so desperate and at their wits’ ends. They don’t know where to turn,” Rosati said.

Already, he’s seen some dire situations, including a woman who was using a plastic grocery bag as a toilet for two weeks because she couldn’t afford the $3,000 quote she got for plumbing repairs.

“That was bigger than a volunteer could handle, so we partnered with a local business, Nowicki’s Plumbing of Downriver. They got it down to $500,” Rosati said.

Most of St. Joseph’s Helpers projects, though, are more minor, including small electrical work, leaky faucets, snow shoveling, dryer vent cleaning, landscaping and clogged drains. Grab bars for showers are the most common need.

“We try to keep people safe and independent in their homes, so railings and bathroom grab bars are many of our clients’ cases,” Rayna Bennett, executive director, said.

Volunteers from the organization recently installed a grab bar for client Ms. Williams.

“She was unable to shower in her bathroom without the help of her daughter. We installed grab bars for her, and now she feels safer and has regained her independence as well,” Bennett said.

St. Joseph’s Helpers also recently helped Stan, a veteran with several health issues.

“We installed a cement step in the front of his home to make the stairs easier to get up. We also installed the railing for his back porch, as he had suffered many falls,” Bennett said.

Rosati is finding that for some clients, the home repair is really a secondary need.