Homeowner Assistance
Dear Homeowner,
Christmas in October welcomes your interest in our program. Over the past 38 years, our volunteers have rehabilitated more than 9,800 homes in the Kansas City area. This year’s main event day is Saturday October 8th, 2022.
Our volunteers tackle a variety of work when rehabilitating homes. It could be as simple as applying a fresh coat of paint to more labor-intensive work such as replacing a faucet or repairing a leaky roof. The work performed varies from house-to-house and focuses on repairs needed to help you live in warmth, safety and dignity. While most of the work is completed in October we are open year round.
We consider it a privilege to come into neighborhoods, such as yours, and help make a difference.
Please review the attached Homeowner information, which will tell you what we do and how you can apply for assistance through Christmas in October.
To qualify for the program, the homeowner applicant must:
- own only one residence, the home in which they currently live;
- lack the finances or resources to have the repairs completed; and
- not have received assistance from Christmas in October in the past year.
- cannot be a mobile home.
In addition, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:
- be age 62 years or more or
- have a physical disability at any age or
- be a veteran or have a veteran living in the home.
To be included in the pool of potential homeowners who receive assistance during our 2018 program, you need to complete the entire application and return it to us as soon as possible:
Important Information About the Program
- Our volunteers select the homes they will work on based on the skills of their team members. Christmas in October staff does not select houses for them.
- Submitting an application and meeting the criteria does not guarantee your home will be selected for repairs.
- Not all repairs that are requested may be completed. The volunteer teams handle as many of the requests as they are able based on their skills and time limitations.
- Inspections will be conducted on homes under consideration for repair. Not all homes accepted into the program are inspected, and having your home inspected does not guarantee your home will be chosen for repair.
- Please remember, repairs will be completed by volunteers at no cost to the homeowners. There are no guarantees on the work performed. Our volunteers are not professionals in home repair.
- Each year, we receive about 1,000 applications. However, less than 50% of homes that qualify for the program are selected for repairs by volunteer teams.
Planning for the October 8th 2022 event is already underway, so please return your application as soon as possible. While October may seem a long way off, it is important for us to plan for everything that goes into our “Big Day”! Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Christmas in October. If you are aware of a neighbor in need, please encourage them to apply for assistance by completing the application or contacting us at 816-531-6443.
If you applied for assistance in 2019, 2020 or 2021 and we were unable to help you, please call, let us know you already have an application and we will update it for you! You do not need to complete an entire new application.