TEXAS RAMP PROJECT

The Texas Ramp Project (TRP) grew out of a Dallas-based ramp-building organization that was started within the Richardson Kiwanis Club in 1985. Since incorporating in 2006 as a statewide nonprofit, the Texas Ramp Project has set up local organizations in over 45 Texas regions.

In 2024, TRP received over 6,800 referrals in 200 Texas counties and built over 2,700 ramps in 141 counties. About 76% of builds were for people 60 years of age and over; about 57 % were for women, and 9% were for veterans. TRP continues to receive more than 570 referrals each month. Every one of these people needs a ramp but cannot afford it. Some of these people will need to enter a care facility if they cannot stay at home due to lack of safe access. A ramp can save taxpayers up to $100,000 per year for such care.

Our goal for 2025 is at least 2,800 ramps, but we are likely to exceed 3,000. Our average ramp is about 28 feet, but ramps can be as small as 4 feet over a threshold or as long as 72 feet. Because we use all-volunteer labor, the Texas Ramp Project can build a wheelchair ramp, on average, for about $1,000.

Referrals come from local and state agencies, including Meals on Wheels, Adult Protective Services, Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, and many Area Agencies on Aging; rehab hospitals; dialysis centers; hospices; home health care agencies and social workers. Referrals are prioritized on the following criteria: hospice patients, dialysis patients, clients living alone, and those with dangerous existing ramps. We also often build a ramp for a patient who cannot be released from a hospital or rehab center until the home has safe access.

The Texas Ramp Project continues to use the model that originated with the Dallas Ramp Project. In 2006, John Laine, volunteer DRP director, chose to expand this innovative model to the entire state of Texas. TRP now has ramp-building organizations from Amarillo to McAllen and Texarkana to El Paso. It has a very strong presence in the major cities of Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio. Because the model is easily replicated, we have also mentored Ramp Projects in Oklahoma, Indiana and New Mexico.

By using all-volunteer labor, TRP can typically hold the cost of a ramp to about a third of one built by a for-profit builder. About 8 percent of TRP ramps are reimbursed by referring agencies. The rest are funded by foundations, churches, civic clubs, businesses and individual donors. The 2025 budget is $ 2,167,000.

Referrals come through the TRP website (www.texasramps.org) and are directed to the area coordinator whose region serves the referred client’s county. Once a referral is accepted, a trained volunteer visits the residence to survey the home’s physical requirements, designs the ramp, and orders lumber and materials. On the day of the build, materials are transported to the site, where the team leader and crew of four to eight volunteers install the ramp within a few hours.

TRP ramps follow ADA guidelines of 1 foot of slope for every inch of elevation. The ramps are built of pressure-treated lumber and are 48 inches wide, with a 3-1/2-inch kickboard and handrails to prevent tipping. The finished product is safe, strong and durable.

The Texas Ramp Project benefits four groups of people in each community it serves.
• Recipients gain safe access, improved quality of life, and independence that allows them to remain longer in their homes. They may even be able to return to work or reenter the community.
• Caregivers, often elderly spouses, are relieved of physical labor and the need to be present every time the client leaves or returns home.
• The community benefits from the reduced need to support disabled individuals in institutions and/or at public expense. In addition, EMS crews are no longer needed to assist clients in and out of their homes.
• The volunteers who build the ramps gain a sense of accomplishment from seeing a worthwhile project completed in a single day. Many return time and again to build ramps.

According to Census Bureau estimates, of the state’s 30 million population, over 4 million—13.7%—are age 65 or over. The 2021 American Community Survey indicated that nerly 23% of Texans 65+ report a physical disability with ambulatory difficulty—about 874,600 people. Another 750,000 people age 18 to 64 have a similar disability that may require a wheelchair or walker, plus nearly 38,000 children. Texas is home to over 1.4 million veterans. The poverty rate in Texas is 13.7%. Thus, it is likely that Texas has a large number of people who need safe access to their homes but lack the means to obtain it. This will be especially true as the population continues to age and government resources are curtailed.

The Texas Ramp Project is dependent on foundations, churches, service organizations, companies and individuals to fund ramps. Because of the extent of volunteerism, including the state organization’s working board, the ramps can be built for a fraction of the cost of a for-profit vendor. We have achieved strong support from a number of regional Area Agency on Aging offices, many of which we have contracts with for reimbursement. We also work with Adult Protective Services and the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services.

TRP is recognized as an innovative organization serving a real need in Texas. Since inception in 2006, we have received over $19.1 million in grants, donations and fees for service. We have logged over 740,000 volunteer hours, valued at more than $19 million. Our administrative expenses are low; we operate with a seasoned Executive Director and Director of Administration, a hard-working board of directors, and other key volunteers. We have over 3,500 volunteers across the state.

The Texas Ramp Project has afforded safety, independence and improved quality of life to thousands of older adults and people with disabilities across Texas. Our volunteers have brought life-changing access to these people. Our vision is that no Texas resident shall lack safe access because of financial limitations.