Rebuild Upstate Installs First Metal Ramp Launching Temporary Ramp Program

May 20th, 2025

Rebuild Upstate celebrates the installation of the first of ten metal ramps acquired through a partnership with Bon Secours Health System. Volunteers from St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Greenville assembled the ramp for Barbara, an older adult who relies on a walker.

The temporary metal ramp will provide a reliable entryway for Barbara, her caretakers, and visitors to the home, preventing accidents and potential costly trips to the emergency room. When the ramp is no longer needed, it will be disassembled and installed again at another neighbor’s home who needs assistance.

Ramps and aging-in-place modifications have immediate and long-term value. Building a ramp can drastically reduce the risk of falls at a home in just one day’s work. In the long term, that ramp means someone has safe access to the community and social systems, like church or visiting family. Ramps don’t just benefit a person with mobility restrictions; they benefit the caretakers and families who serve in a support role for aging loved ones.

Rebuild Upstate secured 10 reusable metal ramps through an innovative partnership with Bon Secours Health System, along with a $50,000 donation for general mission support.

Without adequate space to store and deploy the ramps at the time, the Rebuild Upstate team remained in a holding pattern. That is, until the organization acquired its first storage facility in Easley, SC. Now, all of the ramps are stored in the warehouse where they can be prefabricated ahead of official installation, then disassembled and stored until they’re needed again.

Although more expensive than Rebuild Upstate’s traditional wooden ramps per unit ($5,000 vs $2,500 on average), temporary metal ramps are a cost-effective investment because they’re easy to assemble, durable, and able to be repurposed. One metal ramp can end up assisting multiple homeowners in need.

Metal ramps are a great fit for homeowners or caretakers who may only need temporary assistance getting in and out of a home or a quick solution during a health crisis like post-hospitalization or rehab after surgery or injury. Common situations aging adults face like hip replacement, stroke, or broken bones often require the use of wheelchairs, walkers, or limit mobility the point of needing a accessibility ramp.

Homeowners or their caretakers can request a metal ramp through Rebuild Upstate’s standard application process. The following application questions help Rebuild Upstate determine if a metal ramp is a good fit:

• Is a ramp needed for temporary purposes?
• Is the person who needs the ramp currently in hospice care?
• Is the ramp needed for someone to be able to come home from the hospital or a rehab facility?

In these particular circumstances, someone needs a ramp quickly. With the help of volunteers and pre-assembly at the warehouse, metal ramp installation is a fast process.

Generally, repairs and ramp builds are designed on a case-by-case basis. With metal ramps, this process remains the same, although special training on assembly is needed and less volunteer labor. Warehouse Manager Dennis Beck hosted a metal ramps training with skilled volunteers earlier in the year and plans to do so periodically. That way, volunteers are prepared ahead of time for the install.

The first metal ramp volunteer team involved Rebuilld Upstate’s Monday Handyman Club (HMC), members from St. Anthony’s of Padua Catholic Church who spend hundreds of hours each year serving homeowners on a weekly basis.

HMC Volunteer Walt Laweiski says,

“It is very rewarding for me and the other volunteers to help homeowners to continue to live in a safe and more efficient environment. For individuals who have a difficult time going down stairs or cannot use stairs at all, ramps are very important to have especially if an emergency occurs in the house, such as a fire. Also, metal ramps are much easier to remove and reuse if an individual’s mobility improves.”

The recipient of the first metal ramp, Ms. Barbara, loves to sit outside on her back deck to soak in the sunshine. Her other favorite activities include spending time with family and going to church. She is also disabled and uses a cane or walker most of the time. The steps leading from her deck to her car were disintegrating and uneven. Without a safe way to enter or exit her home using her mobility devices, she knew a ramp was necessary. So, she applied to Rebuild Upstate for help.

Older adults like Barbara rely on programs like Rebuild Upstate to ensure their home remains a safe place to live and age in place. During Older Americans Month, we celebrate the contributions of older adults and highlight the unique challenges they face. Older adults are especially cost-burdened by the rising cost of housing, health care, medication, and food. Many vital programs that provide resources to low-income older adults in these areas are protected by the Older Americans Act, which has yet to be reauthorized by Congress this year.

Rebuild Upstate has repaired the homes of 2,000 older adults across the Upstate with funding from vital programs powered by the Older Americans Act such as Appalachian Council of Governments, which has invested $2.3 million into repairs completed by Rebuild Upstate.

We simply couldn’t operate our program without these critical programs. You are invited to show your support for the Older Americans Act by contacting your representatives to let them know how OAA helps Rebuild Upstate serve neighbors through home repairs.