Mike "Loco" Hoffman (top left) with on the ground rebuilding Staten Island with Yellow Boots...and awesome volunteers.
Well, I finally caught up with Loco, he is one of the founders of YellowBoots...literally he is the boots...when Sandy hit, he was in landscaping. Company was now gone...because the majority of their clients homes were destroyed...
He jumped in and did what was right, he just reached out and see who needed help." I didn't give anyone a chance to say no..I told they you have two choices. 1. to let me help, 2. to let me help..done deal..
Loco said there were two types of people, the loudest ones are normally the ones who don't need the help...the quiet ones, well...they are used to making their own way...don't ask for help...I looked for the quiet ones.
That's what people don't realize either, when these storms hit...it affects businesses too..people were out of work, then trying to keep their house...and there isn't much aid to help small business, except small business loans...
"They didn't think about that, without revenue how are these people to survive..or the people that owned second houses, they rented. They couldn't get aid..so now, the renter whose home it was is out of luck, and the homeowner had lost an income.
Just didn't make sense..
I realized that after three days I wasn't going back to my old business, this is what I was meant to do..
I am still the boots on the ground of the three founders.. a non profit is a small business. I handle the volunteers like employees when they are here, plan the logistics of rebuild, do strategic planning with my partners...and keep quality control.
Most of our volunteers are unskilled these days...but I keep an eye out..tellling them to treat it like their own home...gaps in sheetrock shouldn't be there"
I asked him if there was anything I could say to help...he said, we need volunteers, skilled volunteers..this part of rebuild is tricky and takes longer..just having someone up on the day that is skilled, can save us a week...but unskilled are still needed..the more boots on the ground the better.
Loco had his hands on 1100 houses before yellow boots came into being, 1500 since then...hopeing to do another 250 by the end of the year..but the number is more like 850.
"We are the forgotton borought, I just heard that the Build It Back released a statement they are going into the Bronx (which is good) yet they have only touched one house here, a garage. They have 5 million budget for salaries...and get this..I was here for this...one of their inspectors shows up early to meet with the homeowner and inspect. Three hours early..I go over as he sits in his car on his smart phone..Hey we can meet now, the homeowner is here...The guy says no, I can't meet till 2 that's the rule, that is what's in the computer....that is three hours from now. They guy says no, that's the rule..and I tell hime well I am going back to build these people's house."
Turns out, that Build it Back has an operating budget of over $600,000,000.00..I asked Loco about it.
"....oh, what I could do with just a million of that, we stretch every dollar we get to help people back into their homes...Fema is running out...they are hurting."
Loco is big on social media....if you would like to reach out..give him a shout..or contact www.Yellowboots.org
Loco (on the left) with YellowBoots supporters..
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