Resident & Community Services

Lonnie's home was built in 1955. She has lived in the house for over 40 years and raised 5 kids in it. She and her husband moved to Houston when her husband got a job and they have been in that home ever since.

The house has survived many natural disasters, Hurricane Allison, Hurricane Harvey and the freeze. Throughout the past 5 years she has been having some issues with plumbing, and this past November it broke again.

Now single and living on one paycheck, she would not be able to afford to fix her plumbing. Because the pipe had naturally deteriorated, it was not covered by insurance and she was not eligible for assistance from other non-profits who made repairs only in response to natural disasters.

She has to ration her water use to ensure it doesn’t back up and mess up the house. “I now have a new appreciation for water.” This happened in November and she was so overwhelmed that she was going to have to wait until after the holidays.

She has a large family, which includes 10 siblings, 5 children, and 15 grandchildren. “I’m excited to get this done in time for Easter.”

Linda has lived in her home, which was built in 1952, for more than 20 years. Three years ago after Harvey, her roof started sinking in and leaking onto the living room floor.

Now there is a hole in her living room and dining room floors that obstruct the way into other living spaces. Linda uses a walker to move around her home, which she shared with us “I have a bad knee and it is dangerous for me to walk on these floors”.

Over the past 3 years she has covered the hole with plywood to ensure she can access the rest of her house. The front of the house was also rotted by Hurricane Harvey and then deteriorated by termites. One of two bathrooms is sunken in and not usable. Linda used to work at MD Anderson and is now retired.

Eugene has lived in his home all of his life, and he currently lives alone on oxygen. He can walk around from room to room but requires a wheelchair when he is out and about. We got connected with Eugene when his home became difficult for him to navigate due to years of wear and tear.

Together in collaboration with The Restoration Team and their wonderful volunteers and supporters, we have been able to restore Eugene’s bathroom, kitchen floor, siding, bedroom, community room, exterior siding, trim, and roof. After three months of repairs, he has finally been able to move back into a safe, functional home.