March 27, 2024 | Alexa Johnson
On a warm summer day Deloris Grier walked to her mailbox as she has nearly every day for the past 32 years. Little did she know what she’d find inside would soon become the answer to her prayers.
For the past five years Deloris has been dealing with significant structural damage in her home causing the floors to sink. If that isn’t stressful enough, this situation also inhibits her loving children, grandchildren and great-grand children from visiting the family home, which would likely cause the floors to collapse. This situation also prohibited her annual July 4th party where the whole family loved to come together to celebrate.
Struggling with not being able to afford to get her house fixed, Deloris, a health care worker and retiree of Family Dollar, contemplated selling or moving to a senior facility. Neither of those sat well with Deloris as she loves her home and laughs as she says she’s just not ready for the latter option. She also likes her privacy and is very faith-based.
“God lives here with me and he’s never going to leave me,” she said of the home she had built on family property in the late 1980s.
Her strong faith keeps her heart filled with love and happiness in her haven that’s filled with all her favorite things, including a corner curio where she displays a collection of angels as well as a beautiful flower in remembrance of her mother who passed away in 2001.
There is a lot of sentiment tied to her peaceful, tree-lined homestead, near a rambling creek where owls are hooting and birds are chirping. Her ex-husband’s late grandfather gave land to each of his six children. The road leading to her home is still named after the patriarch Frank Grier. Extended family members live all around and look out for her in the Robinson Church Road neighborhood where she has many friends as well.
Moisture under Ms. Grier's home was causing floor joists to break over time.
Ms. Grier has had an unwavering faith through all of the challenges with her home.
So when Deloris opened her mailbox on that beautiful summer day and saw a flyer that stated – Habitat can help turn your house back into a safe and livable home! She was overcome with joy.
“It was nothing but the grace of God. God was saying you don’t have to go anywhere – I got you,” she said. “I got the flyer out of the mailbox and I read it and said, should I call? It was always on my mind. Then I thought I’m calling!”
The Critical Home Repair team walked Deloris through the process and devised a plan to complete flooring repairs and reframe the entire floor system, electrical safety repairs, as well as replace the water heater.
Deloris is most looking forward to being able to cook in her kitchen again for her family and, or course, hosting her July 4th party at home.
Learn how Habitat Charlotte Region’s Critical Home Repair can help you or someone you love.
