"Paint Your Heart Out Shreveport Plus” is an annual paint program administered by the City of Shreveport. The program is designed to provide painting and make minor exterior repairs to the homes of low-income elderly, and/or disabled citizens within the city limits of Shreveport. Every year, on one day, usually the third Saturday in May, as many as 50-75 homes receive a well deserved face-lift. In
addition to paint and minor repairs, the homeowners receive smoke detectors and deadbolt locks free of charge. The concept for the program originally came from Tampa, Florida. Staff members from the Department of Urban Development visited Tampa during the culmination of their “Paint Your Heart Out Tampa” program, and were astounded at the possibility of Shreveport having such a program.
“Paint Your Heart Out Shreveport” began its first year in 1992 and has continued to achieve its goal of promoting and involving the community in planning and implementing neighborhood improvements. The 2018 program will mark our 26th year. Over 1,500 houses have been painted over a twenty-five year period. Our goal for the 2018 program is to paint 50 homes. The date for the event is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, May 12, 2018. The houses are painted by volunteer paint teams from local businesses, churches and other organizations. A volunteer paint team consists of 15-20 people per house. More than 1,000 volunteers and at least 25 sponsors help make “Paint Your Heart Out Shreveport” what it is. The active participation of City government, citizens and local businesses is critical to the success of “Paint Your Heart Out Shreveport.” All volunteers receive a T-shirt with the names of the sponsors printed on the back. We process at least 100 applications by verifying home ownership and income in order to qualify homeowners. We make it a policy not to paint two-story houses because of the liability to our volunteers. Homeowners are allowed to choose colors for their house and trim from color selection charts. Houses are prepared for painting by local contractors that are approved by the Department of Community Development. The preparation work is completed prior to paint day. All supplies are provided for each paint team. At the end of paint day, there is an Appreciation Party for all of the homeowners, volunteers, and sponsors. It will be held downtown at Festival Plaza on paint day at 5:30 p.m. There will be free food, entertainment, and door prizes. Each year we send Satisfaction Surveys to each team captain and homeowner so that they can let us know their thoughts, and if there are areas we need to improve. Persons who are interested in volunteering, sponsoring, or having a house painted, please call Marcia Nelson, Coordinator at (318) 673-7528.
