Nonprofit boosts mission to repair homes for ‘poorest of the poor’ after tornado using BBCF grant

The mission of the Blackbelt & Central Alabama Housing Authority is to repair houses for the “poorest of the poor” in the Black Belt region. 

So when the Jan. 12 tornado caused major damage to homes throughout Selma and Dallas County, the Blackbelt & Central Alabama Housing Authority kicked into high gear to put their mission to work for an even wider range of people in need than ever, Executive Director Dave Fulford Jr. said. 

And they were able to do that thanks to a $150,000 grant from the Black Belt Community Foundation. 

BBCF gave out tornado relief grants to five agencies in Dallas County from a pool of $1 million in donations collected after the storm. 

Over the last five weeks, the BBCF has highlighted tornado relief efforts of those five agencies through touching and impactful stories featured in the Selma Sun. The stories outline how the grants from BBCF have helped agencies that already make a big impact in Selma and Dallas County multiply efforts when their community needed them most. 

This spotlight on Blackbelt & Central Alabama Housing Authority is the last installment and features tornado relief efforts by the Dallas County Family Resource Center, Coalition of Concerned Families, Gospel Tabernacle Church and Edmundite Missions. Go to SelmaSun.com/special to read these special sections and learn more about how these organizations have used their tornado relief grants to help restore Selma residents and the community back to where it was before the EF2 tornado carved a path of destruction through the city. 

Blackbelt & Central Alabama Housing Authority’sFulford said his organization has been repairing homes for people who lack the resources themselves since 1999, all on a volunteer basis. In 2002, he incorporated his nonprofit, which now has an office in Selma and in Camden.  

“We had an ongoing list of people that already need help,” said Fulford, who is alsopastor of the Camden Mission Seven Day Adventist Church.Many on that list cannot afford insurance or a mortgage.  

Since the tornado hit, he said his list has grown considerably.  

“Black Belt Community Foundation gave me a list of people that contacted them needing help,” Fulford said. “Because Selma is a high poverty area with alot of people that are retired, we find professionals who do not have any insurance.” 

Fulford said people on the list that are uninsured or underinsured are the people Blackbelt & Central Alabama Housing Authority is targeting for help. The first step is making sure there is a roof on the home to keep any more water from coming in. Once they know there is no more damage being done, they start working to repair or replace walls and floors. Fulford said they put up a new roof using a higher grade 30-year shingle that is better than what most of the homes had originally. 

“The main thing we are doing right now is roof repair to keep the water out and more damage from happening,” he said. “If they need some inside work because rain has been coming in, we’ll do sheet rock and floor repair.”  

They are only repairing homes; they do not build new homes. If a home is beyond repair, Fulford will refer the homeowner to general contractors who can build a home from the ground up.  

He also said his staff can help people through paperwork and applications for the USDA Rural Development Program, which can help with repairs or new builds.  

The Blackbelt & Central Alabama Housing Authority is an all-volunteer organization. Most volunteers were born and raised in Selma or live in the Sardis, Minter area. Then there’s another group of helpers from Prattville. Fulford says many have been volunteering for 10 years or more. 

“The only people that make any money are the workers and the people where we buy supplies here in Selma,” Fulford said.  

Anyone who needs help can call Fulford at 334-874-7907 or his cell phone at 334-412-1681. He said you may have to leave a message because he is often out in the field purchasing and delivering supplies and checking up on the progress of projects.