Mary, who works part time at Eliada Homes, rented a house for 15 years when very abruptly her landlord informed her she had to move because the home was being switched to an AirBnB. With limited funds and time, Mary bought a house she could afford, dumping her remaining cash into making it livable.

Several issues left her feeling unsafe- an almost completely rotted retaining wall surrounding her driveway, steep basement steps making accessing her laundry difficult, and a very steep front entryway that made coming and going a challenge.

“It’s overwhelming when you’re single and older. Having people come here and help me- you can’t even know what that’s like,” she said.

Too steep for a ramp, Habitat’s Home Repair team built a staircase with low and wide steps creating a gentle slope that connects to a new walkway accessing Mary’s back door. The team also replaced the retaining wall. In addition they purchased a small, compact laundry unit to fit into Mary’s bedroom closet- bypassing the steep basement climb.

Mary was impressed with the time and care the team put into the work- something she never experienced from a general contractor. Habitat’s team took the time to hear her and understand her needs, even suggesting things she hadn’t thought of, like moving her washer/dryer upstairs.

“It’s not just that they’re doing work that will improve my life, but having them here was such a joy,” Mary said. “It did my heart so much good. I’m going to miss them.”