Rejuvenate Housing showcases latest renovated home

When it comes to the fate of old houses in old neighborhoods, Tim Huey likes to talk about what he calls the broken glass theory. That is, once broken glass shows up in a neighborhood, it could usher in more damage and a downward spiral in the neighboring homes. “Well, the reverse is also true. […]

When it comes to the fate of old houses in old neighborhoods, Tim Huey likes to talk about what he calls the broken glass theory. That is, once broken glass shows up in a neighborhood, it could usher in more damage and a downward spiral in the neighboring homes. “Well, the reverse is also true. Once you start fixing things up, you can trigger more investment in the neighborhood,” said Mr. Huey, executive director of Rejuvenate Housing, Inc., a new nonprofit group that is fixing up old homes and creating home ownership opportunities for residents.

Rejuvenate Housing is trying to trigger even more investment in a central Davenport neighborhood, where it hosted an open house Thursday, Dec. 1, to showcase its second renovation project. That house, located at 514 W. 17th St. and near St. Ambrose University, has undergone a massive renovation. It’s now for sale to a low- to moderate-income family, said Gwen Tombergs, president of the Rejuvenate Housing board, who attended the open house. “Our goal is to rehab single-family houses that are affordable for first-time homebuyers. Homeowners take pride in their neighborhood, which strengths our community,” she said. Ms. Tombergs gave the QCBJ a tour of the updated house before Thursday’s open house and celebration. That home – now for sale for $139,900 – was owned and gifted to the group by St. Ambrose University. It has a fairly new two-and-a-half-car garage in the backyard, but the rest of the home was a mess, she said.  The home repairs and remodeling – headed up by Werner Investment Properties – included all new mechanicals in the unfinished basement, a furnished kitchen, new decks on the front and back of the house, three updated bedrooms on the second floor, a repaired bathroom and much more. Ms. Tombergs said the cost to make all those needed renovations is near the list price of the home. She added that all the work was needed because the home was vacant for many years and in a state of complete disrepair.  And there are plenty of photographs to prove it. During the open house, a series of “before” photos were on display to show the original condition of the home before the renovation. Ms. Tombergs said she believes St. Ambrose bought the old home years ago with the goal of fixing it up, but eventually decided against the project. (The university was using the garage for storage.) “It really looks great today. They did a great job on this house,” Ed Winborn, a former Davenport mayor and member of the Rejuvenate Housing executive committee, said during the open house. The 17th Street home, built in 1900, is a three-bedroom, one-bathroom house measuring 1,394 square feet. The monthly payment is estimated at $867 with a 30-year fixed loan, according to the Ruhl & Ruhl Realtors website.  This is the second home project completed by Rejuvenate Housing. In July, the group unveiled a renovated home at 603 W. 14th St., Davenport. That home quickly sold and the nonprofit then launched work on the 17th Street home in August. Ms. Tombergs hopes this second home sells quickly so the group will be able to start work on a third home in the near future. She added that group members already have their eyes on that next house, but she didn’t want to give any details on that project at this time. Rejuvenate Housing, which formed early this year, was inspired by the former Rejuvenate Davenport group – a grassroots redevelopment organization launched in 1987 by Donald Decker, who died in March of 2021.  The goals of the new Rejuvenate Housing group include:

•  Identify and acquire residential properties that can be restored as quality single-family homes.
• Secure financing to renovate properties through private fundraising, grant opportunities, and housing program assistance.
• Identify and secure low-moderate income single-family buyers.

The group has received support from Quad City Bank & Trust  to achieve those goals. For more information on Rejuvenate Housing, go to the group’s website at rejuvenate housing.org. Group members say they will continue to find, renovate and sell old homes in Davenport. However, at this point, they do not have a specific number of home projects in mind. “We’re going to be doing one house at a time,” said Mr. Huey, who retired in April 2021 as Scott County’s planning and development director.