Umbrella provides vetted workers for home maintenance for seniors on a sliding pay scale from about…read more$59. a year to $575 per year. It also provides transportation to appointments for enrollees, if needed. Umbrella Staff is pleasant and interested in supporting Seniors who want to stay in their homes but need assistance maintaining the home. The office staff responds to requests by matching workers in Umbrella workers group with requests. They call you back with name of worker and contact information so you can schedule work. Many retired individuals work for Umbrella in spirit of volunteering. When we started the rate was $15. a hour; it was increased to $20. hour when we left. You provide supplies. I thought $15. was too low to attract and keep workers. You can tip is you like and I often did. If you need skilled labor such as an electrician or plumber the rates were much higher such $65. hour. My experiences: I used it for three years with mixed results. *The housekeeper was unstable. Kept her on too long. *The guy who painted our garage steps was not conscientious. Had to be redone. *The guy who stained our cedar fence was excellent, but he stopped doing work because of health problems. *Guy who painted iron railing did a great job. *The lady gardener was fantastic, and I was pleased she did gardening as requested for three years. I kindly called her the "Energizer Bunny." We no longer use umbrella because we have found people to do what is needed from referrals from neighbors.

5/1/2020 Ms. Marcine…read morePalkovic 22 Continental Rd. Schenectady NY 12306 NYS Office of the Aging NY Connects Program Empire State Plaza Albany, NY 12223-1251 Dear NY Connects The purpose of my letter is to inform you of the experience that I had with Umbrella of the Capital District's Manager, Ron Byrne, so your agencies can protect other Seniors. My father passed in 2013, Umbrella was recommended by a librarian at SUNY/SCCC. From 2013-2014, Elaine Santos was one of the managers, and then retired. Umbrella charged me for a home inspection, I did not receive any thing in writing. From 2013-2015, they charged me for home inspections. I was not told the credentials of the person who did the home inspections. The home inspection did not advise me that the garage roof needed to be reshingled. In the year 2015, Elaine Santos retired. Ron Byrne became the sole manager. In August 2015, he phoned to say he had a grant for home repairs. I sent pictures of painting that needed and a door frame that needed to be replaced. I was required to provide personal information. Sadly, I didn't receive any benefit from the yearly fee required. I didn't receive any benefit for the painting and door frame repairs from the grant Byrne received. The person who was suppose to do the repairs, was not a contractor, but a Schenenctady school maintenance man, Richard Osterhout. The materials are still sitting in my garage. Osterhout swept the area, he but didn't even start the work, then quit. When I asked why I was charged to sweep; they refused to answer or refund the money. To add insult to injury, Byrne refused to refund the money for the purchase of materials. To add insult to the degree of exploitation, after paying the required fee, noone showed up to snow blow. Byrne told me to pay out of pocket for snowblowing, in addition to the fee already paid to Umbrella. I phoned the office asking for the receipts for the yearly maintenance fees and the record of home inspections. The office refused to provide any record of the fees or home inspections. I contacted the NYS Attorney General's office. In Byrne's reply, to the AG's office, in an effort to discredit my statements, he had the workers write silly allegations meant to humiliate me that were untrue. The refund issue was never settled, the AG's office said there was nothing they could do to obtain a refund for the materials sitting in the garage or a refund on the yearly fee paid. The letter said they understood my frustration. Last year 2019, the garage roof started to leak, and I am told it needs to be replaced ASAP. I was never informed of this by the home inspections Umbrella charged me for, and the materials sit in the corner of the garage. have been told by two roofers that the garage roof needs to be reshingled this year-ASAP. I didn't realize when I paid Umbrella, they don't have to provide records or be accountable for the grant money the agency awarded them. Burned by Umbrella in 2015, Marcine Palkovic