CityView Magazine

g iving Raising the walls By Jason Brady W Higher ground | Fayetteville Urban Ministry designed the Nehemiah Project so needy families would have safer homes. Man on a mission | Ray Andrade, opposite and above, has led the program since 1995. hen people have no one else to turn to, they often find their way to Ray Andrade. His official title is Nehemiah Project Coordinator, but he does it all, says his boss, Rusty Long, executive director of Fayetteville Urban Ministry, a faith-based organization that provides a host of community social help programs, from adult literacy and emergency assistance to Find-A-Friend programs. And then there’s the Nehemiah Project, which provides emergency home repairs to the needy, many of whom are elderly widows. “I’ve done everything from getting dead, smelly cats from under the house to squirrels in the attic,” Andrade said. But he does so much more. It may not be exactly what the biblical Nehemiah had in mind when the Old Testament prophet rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, but the Nehemiah Project is designed to create safer homes. Funding comes from federal community development block grants administered by the City of Fayetteville. But for Andrade, it’s more than hammer and nails. It’s about building relationships with clients living on fixed incomes and struggling to maintain a home with meager means. “They can do more with $800 than most young people can do with twice as much,” Andrade said. But the recent economic downturn has taken its toll on older Americans. While many were able to pay off their mortgages years ago, they can no longer afford the upkeep, Long said. Prices are up and eating into Social Security stipends. Andrade says CityViewNC.com | 63

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