Growing up, Delores always loved going over to her grandmother’s house. It was cozy, with carpet and wood paneling.

There, her grandma hosted family dinners, but it was the time they spent one-on-one that she cherished most. They’d go to church, watch baseball, and bake. Delores loved everything her grandmother made, especially the desserts.

“She loved to cook a lot of cakes,” Delores said. “Homemade coconut cake. That was my favorite.”

Unaffordable Repairs

After her grandma passed away in 1987, she left her house in Lakeview to Delores.

Over time, the house became a burden. She tried to fix needed repairs by working with her homeowners insurance but kept getting denied, which only made things worse.

“If you have a new issue pop up,” she said, “it makes the other issues really bad.”

She faced tough choices — paying for food and other household expenses or trying to repair the issues in her home.

“It just became rather gloomy and depressing to be home,” said Delores.

Connecting with RTGC

In 2020, Delores attended a Zoom meeting as a board member on the Lakeview Neighborhood Alliance. RTGC presented to the board about its Building a Healthy Neighborhood program in which the organization builds a long-term partnership with a community that needs critical home repair in order to fight against gentrification and displacement.

As Delores was listening to the presentation and vetting the organization for community members, she was taking a personal interest too. During the Q&A session, she asked, “Can a board member submit an application?”

Because she owned and occupied a home in the community, she submitted an application for critical home repairs and accessibility modifications. Even though she knew her home needed a lot of work, Delores said she was pretty modest in her application.

“I just wrote simple stuff,” she said. “Railings along the steps, a couple new doors, and a new furnace.”

After she submitted her application, RTGC assessed her home according to its Safe & Healthy Housing model, which corrects 25 scientifically proven health and safety hazards common in older homes. She noticed they added more stuff to the scope of work than just what Delores had requested.

“They wrote down a whole book of stuff that needed to be done.”

Even though she saw all the things RTGC was going to do in her home as part of her homeowner’s agreement, she didn’t really believe it. Delores was excited for the repairs she’d get but didn’t expect to have as much done as they did because “it didn’t really register.”

Repairs Make a Whole New Home

“I’ll never forget it.”

The day after Mother’s Day in 2021, demolition began on Delores’ home. She was instructed to move everything out of the house into storage that she didn’t want to keep after repairs.

“I was like, ‘Let’s just get rid of all of it,’” Delores said.

Still, she didn’t fully understand all that was in store. Floors were replaced. Walls were removed.

*New walls and subflooring for Delores’ home.*

Volunteers were out every day working on different areas of the house, removing carpet, updating lighting fixtures, adding rails, installing new countertops, and more.

*New cabinets and countertops in Delores’ kitchen.*

She helped the volunteers install the floors because she wanted to learn how to do it.

“I love these awesome floors,” Delores said. “They’re so nice and pretty, and they let me pick out what color I wanted.”

“They were just so respectful and kind.”

*Volunteer installs LVP flooring in Delores' home.*

Roofers came out to install a new one, and she got all new appliances too. Plus, RTGC was able to install a central HVAC system, which she had been repeatedly told by others couldn’t be done.

She was blown away throughout the process, by everything that was done and how many people volunteered to help repair her home.

“Sometimes the world is so mean, and you wouldn’t think there are still really good people like that.”

It all really hit her at the end when she looked at the sheet she needed to sign with all the work that had been done.

“It’s a miracle,” she said. “They did all this for me, and I’m still in amazement because this house looks nothing like it did. They practically gave me a whole new house for me and my family.”

Giving Back to Help Others

Because of all the work she received from the organization and how everyone treated her throughout the process, Delores continues to support RTGC.

All that she does for RTGC is to help more neighbors in need in the Greater Charlotte area get necessary repairs. She engages with RTGC on social media, tells her anyone who might need help to get in touch, and even volunteers at different events. She wants more people to know about the services and feel comfortable with the process.

“People are skeptical of signing up for things like this,” Delores said. “Are you gonna get to keep your house? Are you gonna owe money? When I’m sharing with people, I reassure them because I asked all those questions myself.”

Delores also donates regularly to the organization.

She said she’ll never be able to pay back all that they did for her, but she chooses to give to allow RTGC to help more people like her.

“You never know what’s going on inside a person’s house. There are good people out here trying to make it the best they can, but their rent or their mortgage is too high,” she said. ”People are really trying to take care of their houses. It’s just too hard financially, and Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte is there to help.”

Building Generational Wealth

This house will stay in Delores’ family. She has a granddaughter of her own, who loves coming over for time with Grandma just like Delores did growing up.

“I don’t know if my cooking is as good as my grandma’s, but we have a ball when my granddaughter comes here. She loves it, and she feels comfortable here.”

Comfortable. It’s a word she wouldn’t have used before RTGC’s repairs, but now her home feels much different.

“Home now means peace of mind. I feel safe. I don't have to worry about falling through the floor or anything like that,” she said.

She also feels welcome in her home and loves welcoming others into it too. She has two welcome signs, one coming in the door and one going out.

No matter who in the family gets the home next — which Delores says won’t be for a long time yet! — they’re going to feel welcome too.

Making Grandma Proud

Welcoming people into this Lakeview home is what Delores is used to. It’s what her grandma did throughout her life. For the community. For friends. And especially for her family.

After the critical repairs and accessibility modifications were made to her home, Delores feels comfortable welcoming people into it again, just like her grandma used to.

And Grandma’s the one person she’d love most to show this new home to.

“She would be totally shocked,” Delores said, “and she’d just be smiling.”

“And she would be proud of me too, I think.”

Give a Safe and Healthy Home

National Rebuilding Month

April is National Rebuilding Month, a call to service for all Rebuilding Together affiliates across the country including RTGC. In amplifying our serves, we’ll provide critical home repairs and accessibility modifications for veterans, older adults, and other neighbors in need.

We offer these services at no cost to low-income homeowners, who could not afford these repairs otherwise. They often have to choose food or medicine over these necessary repairs.

By making a donation to RTGC during National Rebuilding Month, you're giving safe and healthy homes to your neighbors in need.

Get Involved

Are you interested in getting involved with Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte during National Rebuilding Month?

Engage with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tik Tok by answering the question, “What does home mean to you?”, tagging us in the post, and using the hashtag #RebuildingMonth.
Sign up to volunteer with us by joining the [Re]New Crew!
Snag some RTGC merchandise.
Donate today to support no-cost repairs for neighbors in need.

Win Prizes

At the end of the month, we’ll be giving away a few select prizes to raffle winners. How do you enter? By getting involved with RTGC during National Rebuilding Month. You’ll earn one entry into our raffle for every:

Social media post you tag us in answering the question, “What does home mean to you?”
Session you sign up to volunteer with the [Re]New Crew, including the orientation session.
Item you order from our merchandise store.
$50 dollars you donate to RTGC (example: $250 donation = 5 entries)

Engage with us on social media throughout the month for other opportunities to get involved with the raffle!

Making Grandma Proud: Why Delores Gives Back to RTGC