A home provides a strong sense of security and comfort, this is especially true for older adults. Now, imagine being an elderly, disabled person, currently living alone in a run-down house that is in critical need of repair. What would you do? Who would you turn to?

Sadly, living this reality is Vincent, a Vietnam Veteran currently living in an unsafe house, which is falling apart around him. He has an urgent need for critical home repair. He is disabled, having had one leg amputated at the hip, and replaced with a prosthetic.

Vincent received an honorable discharge in December of 1972 after serving a number of years on an Aircraft Carrier in the Navy. He fondly remembers traveling around East Asia, however, mentions that he never actually set foot in Vietnam. Upon returning to civilian life, Vincent went back to the job he had before joining the military, which was working with a small company that renovates bowling alleys. He worked in this career for 20 years, before spending another 20 working for the United States Postal Service. Vincent shares that he lost his leg due to “stubbornness” and that after suffering a small injury, a cut on his leg, he left it too long without proper treatment – and he ended up in hospital with a serious life-threatening condition, with the only solution being to amputate the leg.

The doctors tried their best to save the leg, removing just the foot to start but ended up needing to remove the entire leg. It is unclear exactly how long ago this injury was sustained, but it is clear that this was the turning point that led to the home becoming so unsafe. Vincent recalls doing odd construction jobs on his own and some of the other homes around the neighborhood, and tells a story of himself, along with his father and brother, being up on the house installing a new roof, “well over 40 years ago”. Vincent is clearly very embarrassed by how far his disabilities have let the home go into disrepair, and was clear in his wanting to help in the rehab process as much as physically possible.

The house needs a new roof, has rotting fascia, broken gutters, and unsafe entry points. The kitchen has curled linoleum tiles, which is a trip hazard for the disabled gentleman, and only has one cabinet. The only bathroom in the home, located upstairs, is also in disrepair. The electrical system is an old fuse box with outdated wiring, and the gas-fired heating system has not “really worked in a few years.”

Vincent urgently needs a safe living environment, and with your help, we can provide this Elderly Veteran with a safe, decent and affordable home.

In order to help folks like Vincent, Essex County Habitat for Humanity is piloting a new “Aging in Place” program in select communities. While working on Vincent’s home, and over the course of the next few months, Essex County Habitat plans to continue growing this new program into one that can help more elderly throughout Essex County.

What we plan on doing for Vincent?

Utilizing our volunteers and partners, Essex County Habitat will be able to make the necessary changes to the house, so that Vincent will be able to live safer at home. Our first step will be to get the house cleaned out. It needs a roof, updated electrical system, new front entry, an accessible bathroom on the first floor, and a fully functioning kitchen. The side door needs to be repaired and turned into an accessible entry. The first floor will be made fully accessible and the second floor closed off after it is repaired. A new energy efficient heating system will be installed. While some windows have been replaced, the remaining outdated windows will be also need to be replaced. Finally, the exterior of the home will need to be repainted.

What you can do to help!

Make a donation today and help cover the cost of repairing Vincent’s home – expected to be in excess of $100,000 – https://www.essexcountyhabitat.org/donate/

Register to come and volunteer as part of the repair crew working on Vincent’s home – we expect to start repairs towards the end of June – https://www.essexcountyhabitat.org/volunteer-registration/

The facts

Essex County Habitat for Humanity also has a long history of working with Veterans and is currently exploring new ways to partner with local Veterans organizations to assess community needs. In 2017, as Merrimack Valley Habitat, it completed its first all-Veterans duplex in Lawrence and in 2018 welcomed a Mission Continues Fellow who worked with the affiliate on most of its projects over a 26 month period. While operating as North Shore Habitat, an affordable home was also constructed for a Veteran in Lynn, which is the site of the current, sorely needed critical home repair project for an elderly Vietnam Veteran.

With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, this is one of the fastest-growing age groups in the U.S. The troubling reality is that many older adults, about 19 million, are living in homes that are in disrepair or inadequate for their needs and unable to access resources to make these places livable.

At Habitat, we understand the positive impact that growing old in your own home and community can have. That’s why we partner with families, communities, and local organizations across Essex County to help older adults improve their homes, and their quality of life, so they can flourish where they live.

At Habitat we also believe that every military family deserves an affordable place to live, and Habitat for Humanity International has been addressing critical affordable housing needs of U.S. military Veterans for decades. The need is great, but especially for those who served before 9/11, considering that 2.5 million Veterans heading households are at least 55 years of age. Nearly 700,000 of them currently experience housing cost burdens, some spending as much as 50% of their total income on housing. In Essex County over 40,000 residents are former members of the military, which makes it the third largest concentration of Veterans in the Commonwealth. As is the case nationally, local Veterans are coping with a variety of problems ranging from the lack of affordable housing to persistent physical and mental health related hardships.

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Merrimack Valley Habitat for Humanity and Habitat for Humanity of the North Shore merged in 2020 to become Essex County Habitat for Humanity. The combined organization will be operating two programs throughout Essex County, building new homes that provide low-income families with homeownership opportunities and providing critical repairs to homes owned and occupied by low- income seniors and families. Every project involves a subsidy to make the benefits of homeownership and critical repairs affordable for families earning below 60% of the local area median Income. This work is supported by financial and in-kind contributions from individuals, families, foundations, faith communities, business organizations, and uses volunteer labor to complete the projects so they can remain truly affordable.

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The above press release was submitted to us by Essex County Habitat for Humanity.