Thanks to donations from the community a disabled veteran is regaining mobility in the home he's owned since 1995.
The Habitat Repairs Program was created to help keep our neighbors safe in their own homes.
When Gerry Simms had to have one foot fully and the other partially amputated, he needed to use a wheelchair to get around. But the flooring in his homemade that difficult.
And it became impossible for Gerry to access his back yard, where the concrete steps were detaching from the home (causing some water damage in the basement) and the patio was crumbling.
Gerry, who followed his Air Force service with a career with the USPS loves Wyoming for the fresh air and the big blue skies. But now he was finding himself unable to enjoy those things. Living on a fixed income put the repairs his home needed out of reach. Gerry needed help, even though he was reluctant to ask for it.
Keeping our neighbors safe at home helps keep our community stronger because homeowners like Gerry are able to age in place in the homes they've worked so hard to own.
Thanks to generous donors like you, Habitat has been able to replace the flooring inside the home that was causing Gerry to have limited mobility inside his home. The program also replaced some drywall that was damaged in the basement where the back steps had separated from the house causing a leak. In addition to those repairs, some interior painting and electrical work also took place.
Next up is the exterior of the home. The old cracked patio and stairs were demolished and new concrete is going in. Once cured- a new wheelchair ramp will be installed so Gerry can once again enjoy those big blue skies and fresh air he loves in his own backyard. When the weather warms up- will finish up the project with some exterior paint, yard work, cleaning up some overgrowth, and repairing a section wind-damaged fence.
Another easy way to support this project, and others like it- is to join us for our Habitat Repairs Cookout Fundraiser- for $10 enjoy all-you-can-eat brats or hot dogs, plus chips and a drink. All proceeds directly support repair projects for low-income homeowners in need!
