ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- For Joyce Vereecke of Rochester, home improvements are life improvements.

“It’s been wonderful. I’m getting windows, I had a furnace put in, I had a water heater,” said Vereecke. “I mean, this program is just wonderful.”

It’s a weatherization program that helps low-income homeowners with free home energy improvements. Vereecke says the program saved her from leaving her Dickinson Street home after flooding damage this past spring.

“Most of my money was put down on my house, so I really didn’t have the money for all these repairs," Vereecke said. "This was all grant work.” 

The assistance programs are a coordinated effort between city and state governments and several nonprofit organizations, like Action for a Better Community, PathStone and NeighborWorks.

“Really, this is a collective job. And folks came together to figure out how we can work together to make life better for residents in this town," said Simeon Banister, of the Rochester Area Community Foundation. "And here’s the best part of it: it’s not just about Ms. Vereecke but about all the other homes around here that will be that much more stabilized and that much more benefitted by the fact that we’ve been able to do something good here.”

Twenty-five Rochester homeowners have qualified for the energy conservation program so far this year.

Rochester homeowners can reach out to Action for a Better Community or NeighborWorks — and Monroe County homeowners can reach out to PathStone — for a free energy audit to determine if they qualify.