What is Good Works?
Good Works is a Christian nonprofit organization, founded in 1988, and dedicated to repairing homes and restoring hope for low-income homeowners in Chester County, PA. Our service is fueled by our Christian faith and encouraged by the verse in scripture that says “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10).
Good Works believes it was raised up by God to extend His love in a tangible way to families living in substandard housing by working with them to make their homes warmer, safer and drier. The repairs we provide include roof repair, plumbing installation and repair, electrical rewiring and code compliance, heating installation and upgrades, insulation and drywall work, window and floor repair.
Who Does Good Works Serve?
We assist low-income families and individuals who are below 200 percent of the federal poverty level and reside in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Applicants must own and live in their homes. They are screened carefully through an application process including an initial intake form, a home visit by a volunteer, verification of all income sources, and a credit check. Most of the homeowners we assist are elderly females, single parents, and individuals with physical disabilities.
A profile of the homeowners we assisted during the past five years looks like this:
- 66% live in Coatesville
- average annual household income is $18,500
- 43% are elderly and 19% of the households are single females with children
Mission and Vision
Our mission is to extend God’s love to families living in substandard housing; to make homes warmer, safer, and drier; to replace hopelessness with the hope of Jesus Christ. Our vision is to eliminate substandard housing in Chester County.
Core Values
The Love of Christ Compels Us — Christ has called us, as in the story of the Good Samaritan, to help our neighbor in need. We do so in and with His love through a personal relationship with Christ Jesus. And we want others to experience His love and salvation, which is our ultimate hope and comfort.
We Uphold the Dignity and Value of All People — Each individual – whether staff, volunteer, donor or homeowner – is made in God’s image and is valued by Him. Therefore, we respect each other, wanting to enhance the individual’s emotional, spiritual, relational, and physical well-being. We believe in fairness, transparency, integrity, and honesty.
We Do Things Responsibly and Well — We manage our resources – whether people, finances or materials – with accountability. We are prudent in raising and managing funds, fair in managing people, and resourceful in managing materials. We govern and operate professionally.
We Enjoy Working Together — There is joy in helping others and working together, whether with our homeowner or our fellow co-worker. Working as a team, we encourage and care for each other. We use our God-given gifts and skills for the common good, while at the same time we learn from each other.
We Serve the Community — It is important that we contribute to the overall welfare of the community. By caring for the needs of people living in substandard housing we make Chester County a better place in which to live and work. We value and guard the public trust and reputation of Good Works in the community.
Organizational Type
Good Works, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3), nonprofit organization founded in the state of Pennsylvania in 1988. We are governed by a Board of Directors, presently consisting of 16 members.
Impact
In 2010, we had our most successful and productive year ever –
- 1,880 volunteers
- 194 workdays
- 40,226 volunteer hours
- We completed work on 56 homes.
- We assisted 160 families.
The impact the work of Good Works has on individuals, homes and neighborhoods is far-reaching. Houses and hearts are transformed. Hope and dignity are restored. We receive many letters and notes of appreciation from homeowners and there is a common theme that is woven through them – appreciation and hope. As one Good Works homeowner, Carolyn, wrote, “Sometimes it is possible to sink so low that you can no longer lift yourself up by your bootstraps; someone else has to do it for you. In my case it was Good Works.” Read more homeowner testimonies »