CINCINNATI — In neighborhoods around the Tri-State, homes are going up as Habitat for Humanity volunteers swing hammers, lay floors, and hang drywall.
But in some projects, Habitat is tearing down, not building up.
Crews ripped open the ceiling in the home of Harry Hurdle Sr., a Korean War veteran. Water fell from the ceiling for months in that part of the house.
“Had a big pot to catch the water, it was so consistent,” said Renay Hurdle, the wife of Harry Hurdle, Sr.
It’s part of a fairly new initiative by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati.
“We have a particular focus on veterans and veteran connected families and so we look to support their ability to stay in their home and do health and safety improvements in their home as well as mobility related modifications,” said Joe Hansbauer, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati.
Hansbauer says the program was started roughly five years ago and the number of calls for service has increased, but they know there’s a greater need.
“Often families don’t look at themselves as being those that have a need or deserve the repair and we’re here to say that they are,” Hansbauer said. “We want to make sure that we are taking care of those issues and people don’t have buckets under their sink and their drywall is not coming apart.”
Harry Hurdle Sr. served for two-in-a-half years in the Army. He’s 97 years old and still actively repairs things around the house, but he admits these repairs were just too much for him. He watched as crews repaired his roof, fixed brick on his fireplace and sealed up the flashing to keep water out of his home.
“That’s a gift, that’s a blessing from God,” he said.
Living on a limited income they also couldn’t afford a contractor to come in and make the repairs.
“You know we couldn’t have paid for half of this,” Renay Hurdle said. “Them doing it is a relief and a blessing.”
Those who apply for this assistance must be an active duty or veteran of the armed services or veteran connected such as a surviving spouse of a veteran. There are also certain age and financial requirements.
The area covered includes Kenton, Campbell and Boone counties in Kentucky. They also service Dearborn and Ohio counties in Indiana and Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, and Warren counties in Ohio.
Applicants for this program must have current homeowner's insurance.
You can find out more by calling Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati or head over to their website.
If you have a veteran story to tell in your community, email homefront@wcpo.com. You also can join the Homefront Facebook group, follow Craig McKee on Facebook and find more Homefront stories here.
