(916) 223-2763 Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Handy Helpers are skilled volunteers who can assist those who need help with home-related tasks such as replacing smoke detector batteries, furnace filters, and light bulbs, programming sprinkler systems and much more.  They can evaluate a problem to determine whether a Handy Helper can help or whether professional assistance is needed.  Assistance with errands, shopping and minor household chores is also available to those who are unable to perform these tasks.  While not an "emergency" service, a Handy Helper will contact the resident requesting service within at least 24 hours. 

Handy Helper volunteers have been trained in many of the standard fixtures in the Lincoln Hills homes.  Those volunteers who have been trained by the contractors themselves have passed this training on to other volunteers. 

When a Handy Helper call is received by the Information & Referral volunteer, the volunteer may ask questions such as the ceiling height and the home model, if the resident has a ladder on-site or the size of the bed if a mattress needs turning.  In addition, when the Handy Helper calls to set up an appointment, he or she may ask additional questions to ensure that the service is timely and efficient. 

The services routinely provided by the Handy Helper volunteers are:

• Assemble artificial Christmas trees 6' and under
• Computers: diagnose/simple adjustments (S)
• Deadbolts: screws check
  
• Doorbell: replace button/adjust chimes
• Electrical: GFIs/switches/plugs (S)
• Furnace filters: replace (1 HH + attendant)      
• Garage door: lube/adjust
• Hang pictures/mirrors (<20 lbs)
• Home maintenance: demonstration (S)
  
• Light bulbs and/or reset GFI
• Light housekeeping tasks
  
• Mattress: turn (1 HH + assistant)
• Moving: light furniture/boxes (<35 lbs)
• Pick up groceries, meals, perscriptions
  
• Plumbing: minor, e.g. garbage disposal
• Refrigerator filter: replace
• Smoke alarm: batteries (1 HH + attendant)
• Sprinkler controller: adjust
• Sprinkler heads: replace/adjust
• Telephones: diagnose/repair (S)
• Thermostat: program/replace batteries
• TV-VCR-DVD: adjust/connect (S)
• Water heater - check for rust              

Note: (S) indicates that a specialist on the Handy Helper team will be assigned to this type of task.

Services that are not provided are:

CFL Program

The Neighbors InDeed Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Program was established in 2009 to assist residents in making the move from incandescent bulbs to CFLs for the purpose of lowering electric bills by saving energy.   In addition, a federal law that was signed in 2007 will phrase out incandescent lights starting in 2012.  Neighbors InDeed can help with that transition.

One call to the Information & Referral number for a CFL evaluation in a resident’s home is all that it takes to initiate this transition with a trained Handy Helper - from determining the resident’s lighting needs using CFL demonstration samples to installing the purchased CFLs.  Call (916) 223-2763 for more information.