Cablefax The Magazine - July 2017 - 12

2017 TOP OPS AWARDS
MSO COMMUNITY SERVICE
Charter Communications
Established in December 2014, Spectrum Housing Assist has the
noble, ambitious goal of improving 25,000 homes by the year
2020-and the company is well on its way.
Charter partners with Rebuilding Together, a national nonprofi t dedicated
to transforming the lives of low-income homeowners by improving
the safety and health of their homes and revitalizing communities.
" Charter and Rebuilding Together provide home renovations and Safe
and Healthy Home Kits for free to eligible low-income individuals and
communities, " says Rebuilding Together director of corporate engagement
Jessica Reid. " Since 2014 over 2,000 Charter volunteers have
donated over 12,000 hours of their time to improve 8,144 homes.
Charter is a national partner that makes a real difference every day. "
In fact, the program will reach the halfway point of 12,500 homes
improved this year.
Rebuilding Together helps select the homes and is responsible for
the initial consultation with homeowners. Charter's requirement is
that they are located within the company's footprint. The organization
provides Charter with a scope of work for the day that's realistic
for 25-30 volunteers to tackle on a Saturday. " Then our job at
Charter is to get our Spectrum volunteers engaged to fi nd out what
their expertise is-even if they have no expertise, it's fi ne. We don't
require that you have a skill set to do this because a lot of it can
be taught, " says Charter director of corporate social responsibility
Kirsten Young. Much of the time the group is working on beautifi -
cation projects, such as painting or sprucing up fl ower beds, but
volunteers could also be tasked with installing a wheelchair ramp or
outfi tting a home with a new air conditioner.
As one would expect, the hands-on nature of the activity adds to the
reward. But it's also an excellent exercise for Spectrum employees
as it brings together folks who work in the offi ce with technicians in
the fi eld. " When you get to know the different folks who make your
company run, you can do your job better. You're essentially helping
someone else and that's a feel good moment that you can take back
to your everyday work, " says Young.
There's a business tie-in as well. " We're able to connect that philanthropic
give back to our business: We improve homes with SpecGroup
Photo - all volunteers: Charter volunteers, Rebuilding Together, community
partners and elected officials gather for the first Spectrum Housing Assist event of
2017 in Los Angeles, CA.
Orlando Before After: Spectrum employees and Rebuilding Together transformed
the exterior of Vivian's home in Orlando, FL.
trum Housing Assist, but Spectrum services are also in your home.
Connecting that to the business is essential for our corporate social
responsibility efforts, " says Young.
The Charter corporate social responsibility team-comprised of a
vp, three directors and a manager-was only established postmerger,
so there's plenty of room to grow. Stories of each home
improvement are posted on Charter's intranet to get people excited
about volunteering across the company's 41-state footprint. Young
stresses that this is just the beginning for the team. " We're looking
to add more very soon. So keep an eye out. "
FAST FACTS
uAs of May 5, 2,428 volunteers have improved 9,111
homes through Spectrum Housing Assist, volunteering
13,774 hours of their time.
uThe program's goal is to impact 10% of the 250,000
low-income families in Charter communities living
in homes deemed unsafe and unhealthy by HUD.
uCharter Our Community, as the program was originally
called, is Charter's first national philanthropic initiative.
RTA Spectrum: A Spectrum employee paints the exterior of a home in East Austin,
TX as part of the Spectrum Housing Assist initiative.
12
cablefaxmag.com
July 2017
Cablefax: The Magazine
- Kaylee Hultgren
http://www.cablefaxmag.com
Cablefax The Magazine - July 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cablefax The Magazine - July 2017
