Some 60 employees of CB Richard Ellis’ Houston office took a day off of work recently to paint properties for Santa Maria’s House of Hope, a homeless housing provider.

BuildMonth Projects Benefit Houston
Photo: CBRE
CBRichard Ellis� Houston-area employees participated in the firm�s CBRE Cares program. Employees volunteered for BuildMonth activities.

As an outreach of CBRE Cares, the firm’s corporate philanthropy program, more than 20 CBRE offices participated in rebuilding projects for BuildMonth in September. This was to benefit local communities and in partnership with HomeAid and Rebuilding Together, CBRE Shelter Program partners and Habitat for Humanity, CBRE spokeswoman Robin Black tells Texas Construction.

CBRE provided employees with paid time off for their participation in the BuildMonth projects. Volunteers from CBRE and one of its vendors partnered with HomeAid Houston to paint eight dorm rooms and apartments within the Santa Maria Hostel.

The Santa Maria Hostel is Texas’ largest multisite residential and outpatient treatment center for pregnant and parenting women with co-occurring substance abuse and psychiatric disorders, Black says.

“CBRE employees from every service department removed blinds, taped trim, then washed and painted the walls,” she says.

CBRE wasn’t the only Houston firm helping the needy. Partnering with Rebuilding Together Houston, volunteers from JE Dunn Construction of Houston made repairs to homes of two elderly disabled homeowners.

JE Dunn installed wheelchair ramps, replaced doors, windows and siding and gave the homes a fresh coat of paint. They were the fourth and fifth homes that JE Dunn has done with Rebuilding Together Houston.