When Kathy moved into the home her mother had owned in 1985, she knew that someday it would need repair work. After all, the home was built during the 1940’s. Over the years she’d had minor work done, but after a severe windstorm in 2022 her roof finally cried “uncle.”
“In the thirty years I’ve been in the house we hadn’t done any work to the roof, so I knew that it would need to be replaced at some point, but I just didn’t have the resources.” Kathy says. “The windstorm pulled tiles off the roof, and it began to leak. I had to do something.”
She contacted Mighty Dog Roofing and, because of her financial situation – living on a fixed income that covered her basic living expenses and not much more – she was referred to the Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity Critical Home Repairs Program.
She connected with James Clovis, Habitat’s repairs program manager, who visited her home and assessed the damage. It was determined that she needed a full roof replacement. And it needed to be completed soon to mitigate any further damage that could occur due to the leaks. The cost to replace her roof could easily run $7-8,000.
However, because Kathy earned less than 40% of Ada County’s area median income (AMI), the repairs to her home via the Critical Home Repairs Program wouldn’t cost her anything.
“Our mission is keeping people safe in their homes,” says James Clovis, the Critical Home Repairs manager. “We recognize that people that have a lower income – especially older adults living on a fixed income – have a difficult time paying for costly repairs. For this reason, if a household earns less than forty percent of AMI will have the costs of their repairs forgiven. For those that make more than forty percent we have a sliding scale suggested repayment schedule that ensures costs can fit comfortably into their monthly budget.”
“This program was a godsend for me,” Kathy says, adding that paying for the roof replacement was beyond her means. And if the repairs couldn’t be made, “there’s no way I could afford a new place compared to what my mortgage is for this house.”
Working with Mighty Dog, an official partner to Habitat’s Critical Repairs Program, her roof was replaced efficiently with maximum quality, bringing Kathy, a recent cancer survivor, much needed peace of mind.
“I have nothing but the highest praise for Mighty Dog and for Habitat for Humanity. Because of them I get to stay in my house. I don’t have to worry about what else could have gone wrong because they took care of it. I’m so happy and I feel safe in my home again.”
For more information about Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity’s Critical Repairs Program, go to our Home Repairs Program page. To sponsor the program, ensuring homeowners like Kathy can safely remain in their homes, go to our Repairs Sponsorship Opportunities page.