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Agencies Rally To Save Senior's Dilapidated Home
By Keith Hagarty
 | | --Photo Courtesy of United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development Bayville homeowner Josephine Gannon, 72, (center) is thankful for all the renovations made to her home thanks to several local and federal agencies. |
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Josephine Gannon's Bayville home has seen more than its fair share of wear and tear over its 50-plus year existence. From a weather-beaten patch-worked roof, leaking ceilings in all its rooms and mold creeping through almost every conceivable pore of her ranch home, the 72-year old was at her wits end, not knowing where to turn for help.
Classifying the rundown home as a "fixer-upper" would be a gross understatement, said Andrew M.G. Law, state director of United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development.
"This was a disaster. We're talking about major system failure," said Law. "On the roof, the shingles had been literally blown off in major sections; it's leaking; the ceiling was coming down; it was full of fungus in the insulation that had gotten wet and was no longer effec- tive. She couldn't hook up to her sewer. She was being hit with an overage fee because she didn't hook-up to the sewer line under a mandatory sewer hook-up ordinance. It was just one thing after another."
USDA Rural Development quickly responded to Gannon's plight, providing about $15,000 in financial assistance for the home improvements through their Section 504 loan and grant program. Partnering with Rural Development to successfully complete the homeowner's needs were two local non-profit organizations; Hands For All and O.C.E.A.N., Inc.
"O.C.E.A.N., Inc. did a fantastic job. They came up and they helped with a lot of the exterior work, putting a new roof on the house," said Law. "Hand For All was great too. They did all of the interior work, replacing all of the moldy sheetrock and installation of new ones and what have you; with the role of Rural Development coming in to provide the installation of the sewer hook-up to get her online, and we also took care of all the liens that were being held against her by the Berkeley MUA (Municipal Utilities Authority)."
The state of Gannon's home was defi- nitely not a healthy situation, said Diane Havens, manager of Hands For All, a division of the non-profit affordable housing developer Homes For All, Inc. Hands For All provides emergency repairs for low- to moderate-income homeowners in an effort to keep residents in their homes.
"The finished product is absolutely outstanding. It's beautiful," said Havens. "It's all new ceilings, and everybody's dry and everybody's safe."
Depending on the amount of available funds from the federal community development block grant funding, Hands For All undertakes between 50 and 75 similar projects per year, with the goal of keeping homeowners safe and comfortable, particularly seniors who often face additional obstacles.
"To lose their homes is devastating," said Havens. "With these programs out there, to be able to help someone stay in their home is such a great feeling."
In all, the renovation project- from the first onsite evaluation to its completion- only took about two weeks, according to Tom Chafatelli, Hands For All project manager.
"We jumped on it pretty quick because it
was in pretty bad shape," said Chafatelli. "If it's something that's in this bad of disrepair,
we prioritize everything according to how bad the situation is. It was real bad. They basically couldn't even use their kitchen because the ceilings were so bad from all the water damage."
Living alone on an extremely tight fixedincome, Gannon had no other choice but to continue to reside in the house and try to deal as best she could despite her
home's unhealthy, squalid condition.
"The house was not habitable," said Law. "It had major code violations. Structurally
the roof was 100 percent inoperable. The leaks in the skylights, the leaks in four rooms, severe damage to the ceiling- it was really awful."
With the improvements now finally completed, the difference is like night and day, as representatives from the participating agencies joining Gannon at her home last week to witness the changes.
"It's been just a great day this morning with Josephine Gannon," said Law.
Law received a hand-written letter from the shy Gannon, expressing her heartfelt gratitude to everyone who helped save her home.
Hearing such kind words of appreciation and seeing the wide-eyed look of glee on Gannon's face as she toured her renovated home means more than words can describe, said Law.
"Every once in a while, you get a case like this which makes everybody feel like, 'hey, this is really what we should be doing,'" said Law. "What's happened here is she can now live in a dwelling with all major code violations removed, and she can enjoy living in a home that she can now sustain."
Such an accomplishment is a tribute to the cooperative efforts demonstrated by all of the agencies involved, he added.
"The partnerships formed with USDA/ RD, Hands For All and O.C.E.A.N., Inc. was critical in providing the resources necessary for Mrs. Josephine Gannon," said Law. "Without our ability to link our funding sources and necessary coordination, Mrs. Gannon's dwelling would not be rehabilitated and considered livable."
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