“I am living in a nightmare. And I just have to keep working on it. It’s gonna take a long time. It used to be nice and it will be nice again.” Joy was talking of her home in a rural Thurston County neighborhood. She lived for over two years in that fire-damaged house without electricity.
This spring, Zac Marti, manager of the Critical Home Repair Program at South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity, and his team of skilled construction staff and volunteers worked with Joy to repair her home. “We replaced the fire-damaged wall header, studs, and siding. Replaced fire-damaged electrical panel. Replaced the water heater.” Finally, the day arrived, a few weeks ago, when she turned on the lights and ran the hot water, filling her with immeasurable joy. Can you imagine that happy day? But Habitat is out of funds and there is much more to do. A generous private party installed a new roof.
“Now,” Marti said, “the most immediate problem is mold. Mold is throughout the house. The mold treatment will require the removal of all her belongings and a large amount of items will need to be thrown out, in an on-site dumpster. After removing the contents of the house, the sheetrock and insulation will be removed for mold remediation. Once mold remediation is complete, there will be insulation, sheetrock, taping/texturing, and interior painting.” He estimates the cost of the work at a minimum to be $40,000. Moreover, during the mold remediation period, Joy will need alternative accommodation.
Joy’s story is difficult to hear. She suffered a traumatic brain injury in a domestic violence assault, was air-lifted out by helicopter, and spent over three months in the hospital and a total of two years away from her home, including rehab. When she returned home, her house had been occupied by squatters and the roof was leaking. On one of her first nights back in her own bed, her home caught fire.
Strangers knocked on her front door in the middle of the night and said that her house was on fire and that they needed to evacuate her immediately. “They said that at least 10 times while they were on the front porch,” she explained. “And I said no, there's no fire alarm. There's no nothing. They said we have to evacuate you immediately. They just kind of walked me out. Got to this corner right here and there was a fire that would go between your foot and your knee. So, a huge fire. Wow. I said no problem. I've got a fire extinguisher I can put that out. No ma'am. We have to evacuate you immediately.”
They called 9-1-1 but there was no help immediately sent. She stated that a truck from a neighboring fire district arrived after two hours and extinguished the fire, but by then the house was badly damaged.
After that night, despite the fire damage and lack of electricity, Joy tenaciously remained in her home. Two years later, she found hope when a compassionate neighbor reached out to South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity on her behalf. That’s when Zac Marti and his team stepped in, bringing expertise, dedication, and concern for Joy's well-being.
“The Lord sent you,” he told him. In fact, Zac and his team gave their hearts to Joy and they worry about her. “I am praying for you,” she told Zac one day. “I can feel the stress and I don’t want that.” He was touched. She is the one in a dire situation and she is worried about him/them.
Joy’s brain injury was caused by an attack from someone known to her, but she does not bear ill will. “The person that did this to me is getting help and is where he can never do things like this again.”
Similarly, she harbors no anger toward the squatters, “All I know is they had a small child. I found footprints. If that gave them a place to live… that’s good.” Joy's forgiveness and empathy testify to her resilience and kindness.
South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that provides affordable housing solutions for needy families. In their dedication to strengthening communities, they go beyond building new homes. The Critical Home Repair program enhances the work of Habitat by helping qualified homeowners with limited incomes preserve and enhance their homes through various repairs.
“We are thrilled to announce a special partnership with Matt from Extreme Excavation, who has been deeply moved by our cause,” stated Marketing & Development Coordinator Amber Markland. “Inspired by the impact we make, Matt is initiating the Critical Home Repair Community Support Fund, aimed at assisting our most vulnerable neighbors who require essential home repairs.”
To learn more about the Critical Home Repair initiatives, please check out the program at their website. To contribute, kindly visit the donate page. To volunteer, please contact the team at 360-956-3456 or repairs@spshabitat.org
Shirley Stirling, of Lacey, writes about good things people in Thurston County are doing. If you’d like to nominate someone to be profiled, contact her at shirley@theJOLTnews.com or comment below.
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pheong
Habitat For Humanity is no longer a non-profit, in word, perhaps but in action, no.
Monday, June 26, 2023 Report this