From Sleepless Nights to Her "She-Cave": Tarba's Critical Home Repairs
Written by Elsa Conklin, Senior Content Marketing Specialist
Picture the scene: your roof has leaked for years, and you have four tarps covering your roof. Your home is full of buckets, trying to catch the water that sneaks past the tarps, providing extra obstacles to maneuver around. After years of excess moisture, part of your roof eventually caves in, leaving you riddled with anxiety over the resulting fire hazards.
This is what Tarba, a homeowner in Gastonia, experienced on a daily basis. All while caregiving for her late husband with dementia, daily life was made more stressful by necessary repairs in her home that she couldn’t afford to fix.
Being on a fixed income meant that when the roof started leaking four years ago, tarps were her only feasible solution, a band-aid on a growing problem. And when the roof in her sunroom caved in, right near her ceiling light, she would lie in bed at night, awake, terrified that her home would catch fire due to it being so close to the wiring. “It affected my health, I wasn’t sleeping. I became ill,” shared Tarba. And without proper stairs at her back door, in the event of a fire, she only had one safe exit from her home. Conditions only worsened during intense storms, like when Hurricane Helene blew through the area in 2024. In addition to being a caregiver for her husband, the safety hazards in their home created extra confusion for him, further burdening their daily lives in their home.
Tarba has lived in Gaston County her entire life — all 74 years of it. She spent much of that time in Dallas, but lives in Gastonia now. Her home —the family home of her late husband — was built in the early 1950s, and she has lived there since 2013, when they married. The home is charming and colorful, with a bright blue bathtub and bathroom tile. But even something as standard as a bathtub began to cause difficulties in Tarba’s daily life. Being a caregiver and aging meant that getting in and out of the shower was difficult and posed increased safety risks.
Realizing the toll the state of their home was taking on her health, Tarba was determined to find support. She was turned away from other local repair programs time and time again, where tight budgets and limited capacity prevented her from accessing support. After Habitat Charlotte Region combined forces with Habitat Gaston County in 2024, the Critical Home Repair program footprint was expanded to the Gaston region, a previously unserved community by the affiliate. Once Tarba learned of the Critical Home Repair Program, she was sure to be one of the first homeowners on the interest list to partner with Habitat for home repairs at no financial cost to the homeowner.
“I actually cried,” shared Tarba of the moment when she received the call that she had been approved for the program. “I had been turned down so many times – I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. My faith had wavered.” Habitat’s team was hard at work in Tarba’s home – replacing her bathtub with a walk-in shower, which she gleefully shared, “This was the perfect thing for me – now I can take showers 3-4 times a day if I want to!” Her back steps had previously rotted away and were fully rebuilt, providing a safe second exit from her home. Her roof was fully replaced, as was her ceiling where it had caved in. Additional repairs to her home included a new HVAC system, water heater, water distribution system, stove, refrigerator, electrical switches throughout the whole home, and more.
Now, Tarba sleeps soundly through the night. “I’m very grateful for everything. And the [Habitat] crew — they are so special to me!” Her home is no longer a source of anxiety and danger – instead, it’s where she can rest, unwind, and enjoy life. She’s looking forward to creating her “she-cave” —the sunroom — where she plans to set up her sewing machine and enjoy sewing once again after a seven-year hiatus. She can’t wait to make it her “special area” and looks forward to spending a lot of time there. Tarba’s home was repaired, along with her safety and dignity – and her ability to age peacefully in her home.
Is your home in need of repairs that threaten your safety and well-being? See if you qualify for the Critical Home Repair Program today.