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September 2018

Vital repair assistance keeps Army widow from going homeless

By Featured News, Home Repairs

A mysterious leak in the bathroom nearly left an Army widow penniless when repair costs and water bills began to add up. But thanks to LifeCare Alliance, through a grant from Meals on Wheels America and Team Depot, the leak and damage were fixed — allowing her to stay safe, independent, and living in her own home.

Darlene is the widow of an Army veteran who served from 1945-1947. Since her husband passed away years ago, money became tight. Her retirement and pension income also had run out. So when the unexpected leak caused major damage to her bathroom floor, she had no way to pay for repairs.

Since the leak appeared to be coming from the bathtub, Darlene tried limiting showers to avoid further damage to the floor. When that wasn’t working, Darlene thought she may be forced to leave the home she shared with her late husband. Around tax time this year, she shared her concerns with her tax preparer, who gave her some leads on assistance with the home repairs, including LifeCare Alliance.

“The Lord was watching over me when I found LifeCare,” Darlene said. “The first day the contractor came in, he showed me a picture of the new floor he was going to install.”

The contractor also pinpointed the source of the leak as the toilet, not the tub. “That’s something we wouldn’t have even known if it wasn’t for the contractor and LifeCare.”

Darlene’s sister lives with her and is on oxygen 24 hours a day. In addition to the floor repair, the contractor said the two would need grab bars installed in the bathroom for safety. Darlene had maxed out her credit card purchasing grab bars, but assistance from the Helping Homebound Heroes grant allowed her to return them, giving her an additional financial break.

“When the contractor got finished with the job, we were so overwhelmed at the look and safety of our bathroom. It was beautiful,” Darlene said. “We can take a bath now! We went without taking baths or showering for months in fear of the tub going through the floor.”

Darlene is grateful for the help she received from LifeCare Alliance, with the support of Meals on Wheels America and Team Depot.

“You know the Lord takes care of the widows and the fallen vets, and today LifeCare was our angel to allow me to stay in my home.”

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