According to the U.S. Census there are more than 11 million Americans who have a “go-outside-the-home” physical disability, which is defined as having difficulty leaving the home alone to shop or visit a doctor. 

Many of these people lack what so many of us take for granted, like easy access in and out of a front entrance, or privacy when using the bathroom, because they either can’t afford to make the structural changes to their home or they don’t know how to begin the process.

Laura Montllor, a Port Washington architect from the firm Montllor and Box, wanted to help those people by providing a way to make the necessary structural changes to accommodate their physical disability. In 2006, she founded Home Free Home (HFH), a national not-for-profit organization that provides pro bono architectural design for people with a disability who need to remodel their homes. The all-volunteer organization consists of architects, engineers, contractors and architectural students who are assigned to a local design team. “Nobody does anything like this in the country,” Laura explains.   

Laura found out firsthand how difficult it is to live in a house that is not set up for the physically disabled when she was ill. “I was on the ground floor of my house, unable to move for six months. It helped me get a lot of perspective. You see what they’re going through,” she says.

“Living in a conventionally designed house can impede even the simplest daily living function,” Laura explains. “We install an entry ramp and the change in their life is so dramatic. We are the not-so-extreme makeover, but, not-so-extreme can be extremely important.”

According to Laura, there is no other organization that duplicates HFH’s business model. Anyone with a permanent physical disability that restricts their daily living activities can apply for their services. HFH screens the applicants, prepares the construction documents, meets with building inspection officials, verifies code requirements and assists with acquiring building permits. “Drawing up the budget and getting the permits, that’s the hard part,” Laura says. “We help raise funds for construction [for the recipient]. We will go to their church or community group.” They also offer to organize and motivate friends to join in the fundraising drives.

Laura provides a moving example of what her work can achieve. Tyler is an 11-year-old with cerebral palsy. She has limited mobility but loved to go to the mall just so that she could wash her own hands in their handicapped-accessible restroom. HFH did the renovations on her bathroom and now she’s able to wash her own hands at home. “It’s such a beautiful story,” Laura says. “We are the small project that makes a really big difference.”

Working with HFH has been a wonderful experience for the architects, according to Laura, who says that HFH has five projects in the works right now and hopes to complete 10 to 12 more in 2009. Laura is interested in doing work with the Veterans Administration and says, “We need donations of money, volunteers, contractors and connections. We’re also looking for a grant writer.”

The need for HFH is growing, and Laura stresses that there is an urgent demand for these services. “We have more and more people falling out of the middle class and the population is getting older.”

Laura wants to expand HFH and is already working with architects in California, Texas and Florida. She has created a unique system via www.homefreehome.org for disabled people to get connected to their local volunteer architects and also encourages volunteers to become involved in the organization. By registering as a volunteer, not only are you maximizing your exposure, Laura explains, “You don’t have to turn people down [who are asking for your help]. You can tell them you’re a volunteer and have them fill out an application.

“Many people spend more time on their medical issues and don’t get around to fixing their house. We solve that problem and make it a doable project. Sometimes simple things just need to be done,” she says.

For more information go to www.HomeFreeHome.org or email architect@HomeFreeHome.org or call 516-883-0403.

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