“I am very thankful. Otherwise, I would still be looking for a way to get it paid for,” said the 70-year-old Jones. “Roofing is an expensive repair, especially because my house is so tall. It was hard to get someone who would do it. But everyone was really nice. I asked a lot of questions and Brian (Ray, Habitat’s Clark County Operations Manager) took the time to answer all of them. It was a really a blessing that they came through for me.”
Ray was glad it all worked out.
“We are thankful for our relationship with Greg (Womacks, NHP’s Executive Director) and his great team at NHP,” he said. “We are very excited about our recent collaborative effort. There are tremendous opportunities for Habitat to serve our community here in Clark County by working with various organizations.
“This was truly a win for everyone!” he added.
Clark County’s affordable housing chapter had worked together extensively with NHP in the past, including one new home and two remodeled home projects in the past five years. However, this was the first time they had gotten together since the local chapter’s merger with Greater Dayton Habitat on Feb. 15. With community need necessitating Habitat lean more into critical repairs, this project was a natural for collaboration.
“Anytime we have an issue and feel like it is a bigger project than we can handle, we definitely are willing to work together to get it done,” said Womacks. “It’s fun to watch projects come together and review before and after pictures; it feels good to be a part of that.
“Anything we can continue to do together gets a lot more done in the community,” he continued. “Partnership is critical. Collaboration enhances accomplishment.”
It also helps neighbors like Jones who are on a fixed income and in desperate need. It allows local seniors to age in place.
“I started having some trouble with some leaks in 2019,” she said. “It got so bad where it fell in on me in one of my bedrooms. I was catching water for a couple months and then I got it patched, but it didn’t last at all. Then it started leaking again in other parts of the room, and from there it just ran to other parts of the house.”
“It looks really nice,” Jones added. “It is going to help my porch as it was leaking, too. I was surprised they did it in such a short time. I feel so blessed.”
If you or someone you know is in dire need of a critical repair but is on a fixed budget and can’t afford to make it, call Habitat at 937-610-0442 and ask for Brian or NHP at 937-322-4623.
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