Repairing a Forever Home: Brenda’s Story
Brenda and her husband, Norman, have been married for 39 years and have been living in their home for the past 15 years. Their home has been their sanctuary, a place they’ve made their own. “Home is everything,” Brenda shares. When Brenda went to make updates to their crawl space, she noticed a pool of water that led her to discover several repairs needed to be made to prevent further water damage and leaks. “We didn’t even know we had a problem,” says Brenda.
Brenda and Norman were able to cover some of the repairs themselves, but addressing the full scope of the damage was daunting. “About 7 years ago, Norman had heart surgery which put a lot of things on the back burner,” shares Brenda. “It put everything kind of in a tailspin.”
This led Brenda to see what options might be available to help make the other repairs and mobility improvements to her and Norman’s home. That was when she was directed to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati’s Critical Repair Program. “I started reading about it, and doing some research and thinking ‘Wow, this could be for us,’ and it wound up being for us.” Brenda didn’t know much about Habitat for Humanity and was unsure whether she should apply. “I’ve worked all my life, and... you never imagine being in a position to need some of these services and so, your pride stops you a little bit, but then you go, ‘You know what, I didn’t do this on purpose. I did my best,’ but it’s so nice to know that [programs like this] exist,” says Brenda.
Brenda decided to apply and was incredibly pleased with her experience. “[The repair coordinators] were very helpful. He said if I had any questions to call and, sure enough, he answered and sat there one day and went through the paperwork to make sure I had everything,” shares Brenda. Habitat redirected downspouts away from her home, replaced both their hot water tanks, and remodeled a shower to make it accessible for Norman. “The workers were on time, they were kind, they were nicer even than some of the workers I’ve paid in the past – just very courteous and willing to work with you,” adds Brenda. “The whole process was seamless.”
After the work was completed, Brenda was so relieved. “I thought ‘Is this ever going to end?’ and it did,” she shared. “Without the services... [the repairs] would have been too much. It’s helped us stay in our home...I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to stay here. It feels safe, it's comfortable.” Now, Brenda and Norman are free to age in place and no longer have to worry about leaving their home. They’ll get to enjoy their home and sanctuary for the rest of their lives.
