Our home rehabilitation partners in Kentucky and West Virginia utilize grant funding to purchase items such as shingles for leaking roofs, drywall and lumber to fashion handicap ramps, sometimes very elaborate for the elderly and disabled living in homes on steep mountain slopes, and other building materials to make homes safe for low-income homeowners who lack the resources to complete the repairs themselves.
In Lee County, Kentucky, our partner there, Cumberland Mountain Outreach (CMO), operates a home rehab program with support thanks to the supporters of Americans Helping Americans.
Among them is David, who was devastated when he walked into his mobile home after allowing a family, displaced from their home due to a massive flood, to stay there for a year, reported CMO President/CEO Cindy Evanoff.
"He could not believe the damage this family could do in that short time," she told us. "They spray painted and put holes in the wall, tore up the floating floor through the sub-flooring, destroyed all the furniture, broke the washer and dryer, and more."
But that was before the CMO organized a volunteer church youth group from Dayton, Ohio, to come in and strip out everything, paint the walls, and scrub and clean to try to get rid of a roach infestation.
"This grant was needed to cover the cost of materials to remodel a mobile home that was generously donated to house flood victims for a year," Cindy said.
In addition, a portion of the grant funding from Americans Helping Americans was also used to purchase insulation to go around the bottom of a mobile home of a widow and her daughter.
"This grant is such a blessing for those in our impoverished county who are barely trying to survive," says Cindy. "This grant makes it possible for them to be warmer and safer throughout the year."
In McDowell County, West Virginia, our partner there, Big Creek People in Action (BCPIA), operates its home rehab program from spring to fall, with support from Americans Helping Americans. During that time, BCPIA recruits volunteer church and college groups to spend a week in the community working to repair homes under the supervision of a professional contractor.
However, in September and October, BCPIA co-executive director Dyanne Spriggs reported that even though there weren't any volunteer groups working those months, "we were still able to help two families with housing projects."
Among them was Kaylee, whose husband was serving in the military and preparing to return home.
Her mother had helped her to buy a house in the area that needed some work, and "our groups made repairs to it.
"She was so grateful for the work that she brought 40 big bags of food to go with the Thanksgiving dinner and homemade Thanksgiving cards made by kids for us to deliver to the homebound senior citizens we work with.
"She said she just wanted to give back to the community because she had received so much help," Dyanne reported. "There are still some good people in this world, and we really appreciated her efforts."
