Ray's Story: A Homeowner Testimonial

Ray Goodman poses in front of his home.

Ray Goodman has lived in Charlotte his whole life. At a young age, his family moved into the Hidden Valley neighborhood. He attended Hidden Valley Elementary School and later graduated from Myers Park High School. Eventually, Goodman inherited the home from his parents.

Goodman described the day in 1973 when his family's dream of owning the home was realized.

"The day that we moved out to this location, to see the joy on my father's face was amazing," he said. "There have been a lot of good memories here as a family."

Repairing a Safe and Healthy Home

Over time, the house began to have more problems, and Goodman was doing all the maintenance himself.

"The bathroom was in disarray," he said. "I couldn't take a shower or wash clothes like I wanted."

Then, he ran into the Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte team at Tom Hunter Park at 2022 National Night Out. After learning more about the program, he applied for services and was approved.

Over the next few months, the RTGC team repaired his bathroom, provided him a new stove and refrigerator, put in a new HVAC system, and helped to replace his roof. When all construction was completed, RTGC contributed almost $39,000 in value to his home.

"It meant a lot to see the kindness exuded to me," he said. "They didn't know me from a can of paint, so to come in and to help me as much as they did, I can't express the feelings I have for the team."

Carrying on a Legacy

Goodman views his home as a physical representation of his parents' legacy, and all of the hard work that they did to provide for their children. It fuels his excitement and desire to keep making more memories with his family in the home.

"Just to be able to carry on what our parents instilled in us, that means a lot," he said. "We had a birthday party here and the kids were running around and hanging up balloons from the ceiling fan."

As Charlotte continues to experience increased levels of neighborhood displacement, RTGC is committed to helping our neighbors stay in their homes. As a beneficiary of our Building a Healthy Neighborhood program, Goodman now has hope that his newly renovated home can be passed onto the next generation.

"I told my sister and nephew that when I am no longer around, I want them to do what they can to carry on our mom and dad's legacy and hold onto the home," he said.

Goodman has become increasingly more involved in the community and the neighborhood since the repairs took place. He noted that he feels called to pay the good deeds forward.

"[RTGC] has impacted my life immensely, and I hope that it grows even larger," he said. "It has been a joy to see the work that has gone into this, and to meet all of the people working on it."

Ray Goodman’s story first appeared in the 2022-23 Annual Report. View the report to see more stories like Ray’s.

There’s a homeowner with a story like Ray’s behind every front door. A home should be a safe and healthy place we can rely on, but that’s not the case for many of our Charlotte neighbors. Make a gift today to support neighbors in need. With your support, we will provide critical home repairs and accessibility modifications at no cost to homeowners like Ray who need but can’t afford them.

Quote graphic of Ray Goodman.