PWC says new building increases its capacity to serve
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Edited:
It’s only fitting that the Greater Cincinnati home repair nonprofit People Working Cooperatively (PWC) used an electric saw to cut the ribbon on its new $12 million Sharonville headquarters Monday.
PWC President Jock Pitts told state, county and city elected lawmakers and invited guests that the 51-year old organization is celebrating a new era. He says the 70,000 sq ft building on 14 acres is a game changer because:
- It will allow the organization to help more people (beyond the 8,000 services its 130 employees do a year)
- It will make the organization more cost effective by allowing for the purchase of products in bulk.
- Since everything is in one place it will save an hour a day. Previously workers had to make multiple trips to area stores.
In short, Pitts says a new building for the organization, whose main mission is preserving housing, “increases our capacity to serve.”
The new facility on Kemper Road will also devote ten percent of the space to workforce development. The apprenticeship program will focus on HVAC, weatherization and general carpentry.
The building has more than 5,000 square feet of workstations, 3,000 plus square feet in offices, a 20,000-square-foot warehouse, and a community room.
At the groundbreaking, Ohio Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn (District 24) said he has volunteered with PWC and talked to seniors who have had their homes repaired and their lives improved. “And I’ve sat around Mill Creek, some of those neighborhoods where people are waiting in really long lines to get their homes repaired….that is why this building exists. Because there are thousands of people in this region and all over the state, who desperately need PWC’s help.”
State Rep. Karen Brownlee (District 28) is not only an elected official but also a clinical social worker. She says PWC’s mission honors three core values in the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics: Collaboration, Self-determination and Dignity. “They (PWC) bring their expertise to the table and they work with partners across the board to make things happen so that people can live with reduced stress in the way that they determine to live.”
Brick by Brick has featured PWC in past episodes, including its removal of mold in people’s homes: https://www.cetconnect.org/homes-are-filled-with-toxins-how-do-we-improve-their-quality272_pdc/
And helping them make repairs that residents previously couldn’t afford: https://www.cetconnect.org/preservation-key-to-saving-affordable-housing/
Ann Thompson – Host, Producer
Over the last thirty years in Cincinnati, Ann Thompson has brought a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her reporting. She has reported and anchored for WVXU, WKRC, WCKY, WHIO-TV and Metro Networks and freelanced for NPR, CBS and ABC Radio. Her work has been recognized by the Associated Press and she has won awards from the Association of Women in Communications and the Alliance for Women in Media. She is a former News Director and Operations Manager. Ann has reported from India, Japan, South Korea, Germany and Belgium as part of fellowships. Ann thinks of the Brick by Brick project as “journalism for good.” She serves as host and producer. Ann lives in Anderson Township with her husband Scott. They have two boys. Jake graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2022 and Kurt attends West Point.
