Arlene is a senior and a recent widow. When discussing her home problems, she shared with us, “This is not something that I’m used to. We were married, my husband and I, for 53 years, and everything (related to the home) was done through him… Now that I’m on my own, I’m really at a loss…”
With a limited income, Arlene’s options for dealing with housing problems were hampered. And housing problems she had, such as fallen downspouts and clogged gutters, both allowing water to enter her home. She was also dealing with toilets continually running, resulting in higher utility bills, an inoperable dishwasher, a broken rear door and several other issues. While some of these problems were small, they were not going away and would only worsen and result in more damage and greatly increased repair expense.
Without the help our supporters and volunteers empower us to provide, Arlene, and other widows like her, would likely be looking at being forced out of their home due to safety risks or housing code violations. HRM supporters literally help them remain independent and at home. When describing the impact of the HRM volunteers, Arlene gushed, “I cannot commend those men any more… They are wonderful.” And you can help ensure that those volunteers can help many more vulnerable people like Arlene.