A safer place to call home

Home is where we’d prefer to be when we don’t want to be anywhere else. But, sometimes, home is where we must be when we can’t be anywhere else. Carolyn is the caregiver for her 39-year-old daughter, who is afflicted with cerebral palsy and other illnesses. They’ve lived in their home for 20 years. During that time, the house’s foundation problems became more significant as did issues with the bathroom and electricity.

Three times she attempted to have the foundation repaired, and three times she was disappointed. One contractor ran off with her money. Another died. Another did shoddy work that didn’t solve her issues.

Carolyn sought help from several organizations, but none would assist her. She persevered for five years waiting for repairs. She was accepting the reality that she and her daughter would have to leave their home when she received a call from Jesse Flores, Jr., Merced’s Owner-Occupied Repair Program (OORP) manager. Hoping that he was calling to offer help, she got off the phone and prayed, “Oh, thank you, Jesus.” Jesus was closer than she thought.

The Sisters of the Holy Spirit, whose convent was one mile away from Carolyn’s house, had presented Merced with a financial gift to be used for repairs on selected homes in the neighborhood. Hers was one of them. Through Merced’s Owner-Occupied Repair Program (OORP), we repaired her foundation. We remodeled her bathroom with a new roll-in shower.

Now Carolyn’s daughter can safely navigate the floors in their home. Now she can bathe in safety and comfort. The OORP began in 2002 as the Serve Our Seniors (SOS) Program. Through the SOS Program and others under the OORP umbrella, we have repaired more than 630 homes and transformed more than 630 lives.

However, more than 300 older and disabled homeowners are still on our waiting list. Our OORP could never have had its success or impact without the combined support of the many kind and generous individual donors who have supported the program over the years. We hope we can count on your continued contributions. To help us help more desperate homeowners, just click here.