Umbrella of the Capital District

Description

Umbrella of the Capital District is a nonprofit agency helping senior citizens and persons with disabilities to live comfortably and safely in their own homes. By providing low cost home maintenance and a wide variety of personal services, we help our members keep the two things they cherish most... their homes and their independence.

The phone rings between 50 and 100 times a day at the Umbrella office in Schenectady. Over 500 elderly or disabled homeowners rely on the organization for help with everything from routine housecleaning and yard work to dealing with plumbing or heating emergencies. For them, Umbrella means peace of mind. As one member put it, "I regard Umbrella as the best and cheapest insurance in town. I know that in an emergency help is just a phone call away--24 hours a day-- and that the Umbrella repairperson will arrive at my home within 90 minutes.... I have often called upon Umbrella for the annoying problems other services are not willing to handle or advice on larger issues.... I plan to be a member as long as I am "aging in place".

Ron Byrne and Elaine Santore started the organization in 1995 when they realized that many seniors needed just a little routine help in order to live safely and independently in their own homes. For many, the difference between choosing to remain at home and being forced to move is having access to low-cost, trustworthy, and reliable home maintenance.