Plugged gutters, rotted siding, and snakes.
Yes, snakes.
Cathy has faced a little bit of everything when it comes to home repairs.
“My gutter drained down onto my chimney. This caused the siding to rot and pieces to fall off my chimney,” she explained. “And because of the condition of my home, there were openings for critters to get in.”
This mom of two had tried before to find help and felt discouraged when she came up empty.
“I reached out to several people about my needs, but being a single mom, I didn’t have the money for the repair,” she explained. “I tried other ministries, but no one was able to come out. My teenage son even climbed on the roof to hose out the gutters.”
But then, she heard about Home Repairs through her church, 12Stone, and Pastor Steve Walton.
“I remember one day I was talking to him about other things I was going through, and I just broke down about the home repairs that were needed. It wasn’t just about the home repairs, but it all just piled up,” she explained. “Several people had mentioned Home Repairs, but I was very cynical because I’d been let down so many times by people who offered help that didn’t follow through.”
But Cathy finally did connect with Home Repairs, and volunteers didn’t wait long before helping.
“After they contacted me, they came out within a week or two,” she said. “They got together a crew, looked over my property, and figured out what equipment they’d need to do the repairs.”
Volunteers stuck with Cathy through both her rotted siding and other slithery situations.
“When they first came out, they saw a black spot while they were measuring,” she said. “It turned out to be a black snake, and it crawled back into my chimney.”
Thankfully, Home Repairs was able to make the repairs necessary to keep such unwanted guests out of Cathy’s home. She said they also followed up to make sure those visitors didn’t come back.
“[Volunteer] Bill Isaak came out multiple times to make sure everything was okay,” said Cathy. “As we were talking, he was pulling up options for a new door for me on his phone.”
Before, under the weight of all these home repairs, Cathy had felt discouraged and without much room for hope.
“I tend to give and do to the point that it puts a strain on me. It can be so hard to stay positive with all the negativity, and I’m not one to ask for help,” she said. “I try to keep up this positive front for my son, but it can be difficult.”
And now, with these home repairs, Cathy has seen that there are people who care about her.
“I felt like everything was crumbling down, and I needed someone to help me rebuild, both literally and figuratively,” she said. “You have to have someone pour into you, or you can’t pour out to others. It was definitely a true blessing that happened to me, and it’s made a mark on me on a lot of levels.”
She encourages others in need to make the call.
“Give them a chance if you have repair needs,” she urged. “They do quality work, and they’re super nice and gracious people. They gave me a little bit of hope when I needed it, reminding me that there are people who will do what they say and keep their word.”
For this mom who is so willing to help others, having Home Repairs invest in her was a game-changer.
“I’m grateful and so thrilled that I was put in touch with them and that these amazing volunteers put their time into doing this,” she said. “I will be following back up with Home Repairs in the future, and I’m forever grateful that they stepped up to help me.”
