Single mom and homeowner Tricia makes people feel valued every day in her job as a teacher and in her own home. But she needed someone to do the same for her. It all started when her home began to show its age.
“I’m an adaptive art teacher with Fulton County Schools, so I teach art to children with special needs, mostly autism, at six different schools. This is my sixth year teaching, and I absolutely love it!” Tricia said. “I also have a 12-year-old daughter who has special needs, and she inspires me every day; she’s a special girl.”
Tricia’s brother and his family live a couple hours away, and her parents live in Florida – so she doesn’t have help nearby when she needs a hand.
“I’ve lived in my home for about 13 years now, and before me, my brother lived there for seven years. It’s kind of a family house,” she said. “So much of my energy and focus is on my daughter, and the house is older; it’s been hard to keep up. I just haven’t had the finances or even the time for it.”
Luckily, Tricia had a friend looking out for her.
“My friend Martha who lives in my neighborhood is responsible for me getting the help I needed on the house,” Tricia said. “She’s an experienced homeowner, and it’s nice to have someone from the outside say ‘I think this should be taken care of.’ The main thing was some of the siding had mold or was rotting, and then the gutters were not working anymore because they had holes or were rusted and falling off.
“I knew I didn’t have the funds for it – [as a single parent] so much of my income goes toward my daughter’s care, extracurriculars and medical issues.”
A volunteer and donor to Home Repairs Ministries, Martha knew the ministry could help. She asked Tricia about having Home Repairs come and take a look – Tricia was all ears.
“They came out to evaluate what would be really helpful in the long-term. Clarence headed up the team, and he was so kind; I don’t even know if I have the words to describe it. He made it seem like [what they were offering to do for me] was just like going to the grocery store; he just made it seem so simple and typical. It was really lovely,” she said.
“My dryer had actually stopped working, too, so a couple of Home Repairs’ other volunteers Fritz and Ned came and fixed the dryer within like an hour. I had been hanging my clothes around the house, so that was life-changing!
“The experience was just so seamless and so amazing. It was like the Home Repairs fairy came in and made all the repairs, and when I came home, it was all done. It was really incredible!”
For the homeowners we serve, it really is more than just new gutters or siding. Home Repairs Ministries has always been about repairing both homes and hearts, and Tricia experienced this encouragement firsthand.
“As a single mom without family nearby, I’ve always kind of felt like I had to do things on my own. We don’t go on vacations, and there are a lot of things we go without. But with Home Repairs, it was really beautiful. They made me feel important.
“It runs deeper than just like having my home repaired by these people that don’t even know me. Giving their time and their finances – it made me feel so many things. It changed my life, and it changed my perspective,” Tricia said. “I had no idea it was going to affect me that much, but it just made me feel so good inside and inspired me to want to help others.
“Working on someone’s house can really transform their life. Not only do you get your house back, you also get some of your pride back and a little boost that you need from feeling like people care and there’s a community that truly wants to make a difference.”
Tricia’s message to Home Repairs’ volunteers and donors?
“You may just feel like they’re just going and doing something simple, but Home Repairs’ help proved to me that God’s looking out for me and my daughter and that people truly are loving and giving,” she said.
“Your home is very symbolic of your life, so when somebody comes in and cares for your home – like the Home Repairs team – they’re really saying to me, ‘I care for you.’ That’s exactly how they made me feel.”
Like Martha, you can show more homeowners you care by donating to Home Repairs Ministries. Give today at homerepairs.charityproud.org/donate.
