Nonprofit organization assists elderly with home repairs: 'As the occupants became older, their finances became more meager'

Low-income elderly residents in Houston’s Third Ward Neighborhood are seeing their homes get much-needed repairs thanks to a nonprofit organization, according to a report from Houston ABC affiliate KTRK. 

Rebuilding Together Houston sprung into action when it learned steep repair costs forced some homeowners to sell, the station reported. 

"As the occupants became older, their finances became more meager," Houston City Councilwoman Dr. Carolyn Evans-Shabazz told the station. "They were not able to keep up their homes in the manner they did."

The report said that Rebuilding Together Houston helps these homeowners for free through numerous partnerships. 

KTRK reported that aside from assisting with repairs, the organization also sees to it that the residences comply with municipal codes and are safe to live in. 

Per the station, Rebuilding Together Houston previously worked in the East End on the other side of the Gulf Freeway before shifting its attention to the Third Ward.

Among the residents to receive help was Mary Banks, who told KTRK that she has had her home for 45 years. 

"The house was built in 1936 by my husband's auntie,” Banks said, the station reported. “So we bought it from her.” Banks and her late husband resided in the home for nearly half a century, and upon his passing four years ago, the upkeep fell to her.

Per KTRK, Rebuilding Together Houston made it possible for the home to have a new roof, electrical repairs and new paint. 

The work will ensure that Banks lives out the rest of her years in her beloved Third Ward. 

Her house is among the nearly 15,000 that have been given new life through the organization, according to KTRK.