The Roosevelt House, owned by Community Residences, Inc., has a completely new kitchen thanks to HomeAid Northern Virginia, Builder Captain Michael Harris Homes and 13 trade partners. Now the six men who call the house “home” are learning how to prepare healthy and tasty food for the first time in their lives.

The kitchen of the circa 1920s house was 30 to 40 years old, so Michael Harris Homes gutted it, changed the floor plan slightly for efficiency, and installed new cabinets, flooring, countertops, appliances and lighting. “The house is big and well-suited for transitional housing, but it’s a HUD-funded property, so it’s difficult to save enough funding to make any sort of sweeping renovations,” said Marc Greenberg, director of asset management for Community Residences. “We’ve worked with HomeAid in the past, and this was a perfect fit.”

“The kitchen renovation has been a true blessing for the men living there,” said Cherie Harris, program manager of the Roosevelt House. “We gained ample storage space and extra counter space, and it’s allowed us to teach the individuals who came in with little or no cooking skills how to prepare food for themselves and for friends and family. Each night, one person is responsible for cooking dinner for the rest of the house—from picking a recipe, going grocery shopping and preparing it—and this new kitchen finally allows us to offer cooking classes with multiple stations. Our residents are gaining so much pride; they’ve been inspired to step out of their comfort zone and try new things. It’s made a huge difference.”

The project—valued at $23,000—is the first HomeAid project that Michael Harris Homes has led.

“We’ve known for a long time of the good work HomeAid Northern Virginia is known for, and we wanted to be a part of making such a difference in the lives of those who need it most,” said Harris Schwalb, co-managing principal of Michael Harris Homes. “This project was a great fit for our company, and we enjoyed serving as a builder captain for the first time. Our trade partners were so willing to help out, and it was a feel good experience for our entire team.”