After three decades living in Florida, Regina Hamilton experienced her first direct hit from a hurricane in October of 2024. Like so many, she was unprepared for the category 3 winds, storm surge and flooding brought by Hurricane Milton on the heels of Helene just two weeks earlier.  

Regina lives in Progress Village, a historic Tampa suburb bordered by the Alafia River. Her single-story brick home -- where she raised her children and once cared for her mother -- sustained significant structural damage to the exterior, while floodwater inundated the interior. For residents with deep roots in the community like Regina, flooding is nothing new -- but this was different.

“Progress Village is a flood zone, but the devastation of coming back (after Milton) … when I was able to get back … was mind blowing for me. We are a tight community, but there's no funding,” she explained. Through it all, she leaned on her faith and her church community, but she hasn't had help in her neighborhood until now.

On September 4, 2025, Regina learned that she will be the first homeowner to receive no-cost critical home repairs as a result of a partnership between the American Red Cross and Rebuilding Together Greater Florida (RTGFL).

A long-term recovery grant, funded by Red Cross, will empower community-led nonprofit RTGFL to provide critical repairs -- including roof replacements and structural work -- for more than 100 storm-damaged homes across a five-county area.

With representatives of the nonprofits, local officials and neighbors gathered on the driveway of Regina’s home, Jose Garcia, CEO, RTGFL, shared with the emotional homeowner the significant scope of work that would be done.

“I just want to let you know that what we're going to do to this house is … replacing your roof, replacing your windows, replacing your soffit and fascia, and taking care of the side of the house where the siding is falling apart.”

He emphasized the key is to return Regina’s sense of safety and stability – allowing her to be more resilient for the next storm that comes our way.

Linzy Wilson, senior community recovery manager for the Red Cross long-term recovery program, noted the grant funding is an investment in Florida families and the communities they call home.

“As most Floridians know, recovery doesn't happen overnight, and especially with storms this large, recovery can take months and even years. We're going to use these funds to repair over 100 houses right here in Tampa Bay with a special focus on seniors and low-income families,” she said.

The Red Cross relationship with Rebuilding Together started after Hurricane Irma back in 2017 and continued through Hurricane Ian in 2022. The ongoing collaboration has served some of the most vulnerable survivors of disasters, helping rebuild homes and lives.