A Brush with Kindness – Mr. Terry
Did you know we serve vulnerable Gwinnett homeowners with home repairs through our A Brush with Kindness program?
This Spring, we had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Terry, a Vietnam War veteran who retired from the Army after 33 years of service. He has been living in the Dacula home that his mother bought in 1965.
Terry reached out to Gwinnett Habitat to address electrical and structural repairs needed to help keep him safe and his home in good condition. A major concern was the old electrical wiring and screw fuse box that was not up to code – it presented a fire hazard and did not allow for him to plug in many of today’s modern appliances. The home also hasn’t had hot water for 5 years and he was traveling to a relative’s home to take a hot shower in the winter.
Gwinnett Habitat was able to partner with Wiley Electric, who generously donated their time and materials to outfit Terry’s home with all new electrical wiring and a new breaker box to bring his home up to code. Wiley Electric also donated a new water heater!
We also partnered with Sentry Roof, who donated all of their time, labor, and materials to repair the roof leaks that caused structural damage to the walls of the home. We couldn’t have completed this project without their generosity!
Our A Brush with Kindness staff and skilled volunteers have replaced rotted support beams, installed a new sink in the bathroom, and are working on repairing the weakened exterior walls due to roof leaks.
This A Brush with Kindness project is a great example of how our community partners and Gwinnett Habitat can work together to make a great impact on the lives of our Gwinnett seniors. Our goal is to help repair aging housing stock to preserve their existing affordable housing and so that homeowners can live safely in their homes for years to come and thrive in the home and community that they have spent most of their lives in.