“Being able to stay stable in the house and the community I’ve known for my whole life means a lot. It’s great”
Spotlight: Repair Program
George and Darla's Story
George, a veteran, and his wife Darla have lived in their home for 12 years, but for George, his ties to the house go back generations. “I grew up two doors down. My grandmother lived in this house, and my aunt. I remember being here as a child. There are pictures of me as a boy in this house.”
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George and Darla reached out to Habitat for Humanity to help replace the gutters and downspouts of their 100-year-old family home.
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“I don’t have to worry about the gutters every time it rains now, or we get a windstorm because, once the first one started falling off I knew it was a just a matter of time before they all came down,” says Darla. “I’m a big worry wart and I know gutters are a very expensive thing to do.”
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“We can’t afford to fix things as they break unfortunately, so the repairs have definitely helped us be able to stay here in our home. We can’t afford to go out and pay rent that goes up every year. When you own your own house, you don’t have to worry about all that stuff. You don’t have to worry about getting evicted. We have six cats and a dog. In a rental, we wouldn’t be able to keep our animals,” says Darla.
“Being able to stay stable in the house and the community I’ve known for my whole life means a lot. It’s great,” says George. Their stability extends beyond the couple. Darla’s daughter and their two grandchildren also live in the home.
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“I grew up with this house and now the grandchildren are doing the same thing. This is the only home they’ve ever had and we’ll pass it along to them too eventually,” says George
“Stability means a lot. Especially as you get older,” says Darla. “We like to get out and sit on the porch and watch the birds and the squirrels. […] We really can’t go anywhere in the neighborhood without running into someone we know. A lot of people have grown up here. It’s a little bit of a family town.”
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As we left George and Darla’s home, George says,” she is worried about less now.”
“Yes, one less thing to worry about,” says Darla.
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