Revitalizing Homes and Lives!

Habitat for Humanity of Utah County has completed a number of critical home repair and beautification projects during the past few months helping a number of low-income families in Utah County. Here is a sampling of completed projects-

Rebecca Gonzales, or “Grandma Becky” as the neighborhood kids call her, is an 86 years old Spanish Fork resident. Mrs. Gonzales, a widow, raised her 8 children in her home that desperately needed a new roof. Her roof was literally blowing away with the morning winds that Spanish Fork receives. The roof was made up of two layers of shingles, one layer of moss, and the last layer of original shake shingles. Two of the Gonzales children, a nephew, grandsons, a son-in-law and some neighbors helped remove the shingles. Volunteers, the same sons and neighbors, plus the local missionaries, helped reroof the home over the course of 4 days. Because of the unusually warm Autumn weather, volunteers prepped and painted all the wood surfaces of the home and trim. They also rebuilt her fence and painted it, as well. The home was transformed over the week and Mrs. Gonzales, her children and neighbors are so happy with the beautiful new roof and revitalized exterior. The Gonzales family worked many, many hours along the volunteers and even fed them on two of the work days

Melissa Partridge needed a ramp for both her daughter and granddaughter who suffer from Myotonic Dystrophy. They both live with Melissa and have a hard time going up and down stairs, which will only worsen over time. The sturdy ramp was build out of Trex material and will aid Amie and Malia Partridge immensely now and in the future.

Joann Jeffs suffered a stroke in March 2013. She spent until the end of April recovering from the stroke before she could return home. Although she was able to secure and begin using a Jazzy Power Chair, she was not able to get further than outside her front door and onto the deck of her mobile home. Habitat for Humanity of Utah County, with CDBG funds and volunteer labor, was able to build her a redwood ramp. This ramp gave her the ability to not only get the mail each day and move around her neighborhood, but to also go the four blocks to see her son at his home. Mrs. Jeffs, a widower on fixed income, was also able to get a new refrigerator through the grant program. Her old model was leaking water on
her floor and she was not able to keep her food cold, subsequently.

For more information about Habitat’s critical home repair and beautification programs, please look online at www.habitatuc.org or contact LeAnn at (801) 368-2250 orleann@habitatuc.org.