Thank you for helping us serve those in our community with home repair needs.
Imagine This:
You and your family live together in a 40-year old trailer with a leaky roof, soft spots or holes in the floor due to leakage, plumbing issues, a rotted deck and rotted exterior trim. Add to that - health issues which keep you from working, your only source of income is social security, and you have no resources to fix the property.
This is not an isolated scenario. That situation is all too common in the Lake Area and particularly prevalent in Greene and Putnam Counties. That is what NHN’s Home Repairs program is all about. Until Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN) was created there was no organization in this community to help the person and family described above.
It may shock you to know that over 7,500 of our neighbors in Greene and Putnam Counties live below the poverty line. They live in housing that many would describe as unlivable and unacceptable. It’s true and it’s a sad situation—especially when young children and older adults are involved.
In our area, Neighbors Helping Neighbors is the only organization that is tackling the issue of substandard housing on a case-by-case basis. And since our founding in August 2020, we have completed a multitude of home repair projects for people in need in Greene and Putnam Counties.
We vet our recipients very thoroughly to ensure that we help those who need a hand-up—not a handout. We significantly improve their living conditions. We help them improve their family life. And, most importantly, we help them bring some added happiness and security into their otherwise typical home.
Real Stories of Real Lives
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A recent example of how we helped one of our neighbors improve his and his family’s life:
A local long-haul truck driver had a heart attack while on a road trip in Texas. The heart attack caused him to lose his driver’s license and, as a result, his job. He has two young children and a handicapped sister living with him.
NHN first heard about Mr. Smith post-heart attack because he had had a leg removed due to diabetes. We were in the process of building a wheel-chair ramp for him when we discovered he had several pots and pans scattered around the inside of his house to catch rainwater. Turns out he had an extremely leaky roof so we decided to help with that issue as well.
We tore off the old roof, replaced most of the rotted sub roof and replaced the entire roof. Not only can the homeowner now access his home via a wheel-chair ramp but his family can live in their home without having to worry about mother nature coming inside. Mr. Smith is very appreciative of what we have done for him and his family. He was in a tough situation through no fault of his own. This was truly a hand up not a handout.
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A recent example of how we helped one of our neighbors stay warm throughout the winter:
A 79 year old woman who had suffered two strokes. When she returned home from rehabilitation, she found that her furnace wasn’t working and was beyond repair. It was December. She was living on social security. She had space heaters scattered around but they were not doing the job.
NHN got involved to help her get a new furnace for her home. As part of our standard process, we asked her children if they could help with the cost of the furnace, and they were able to make a contribution toward the replacement cost with NHN providing the balance of the needed funds. We arranged with a contractor to replace the furnace at a discounted rate. It was in the middle of COVID so it took a few weeks to get the furnace, but when it was turned on she was so happy she broke out in tears. We were able to help her because of financial assistance from her family, the contractor, and the generosity of our members and donors.
Storage Container To Home
Learn how Neighbors Helping Neighbors helped one local family transform a storage container into a full functioning home.
Make An Impact.
You can make change a reality for someone in need.
Your support today will give help and hope to a struggling neighbor.
