Ken, age 72, has lived in his home for 34 years. He first shared the home with his late mother. The home, built in 1927, hasn’t exactly been aging gracefully. Ken, who served his country in Vietnam as a repairman on an aircraft unit, suffers from hearing loss, a degenerative spinal column, arthritis, and sciatica—says he can relate.
Recently, he’s had to reposition the tarps that were keeping his roof covered due to the excessive winter wind. Unfortunately, the need for major repairs has increased in recent years and it was getting to the point that Ken didn’t know what to do.
In the fall of 2022 The Marion County Public Health Department cited him for his roof, gutters, and soffits. Ken, not sure where to go to wound up seeking help at Indiana Legal Aid society and they referred him to NeighborLink Indianapolis. We swiftly had our roofer go evaluate his roof. It wasn’t a positive evaluation. The roof was in terrible shape. There was no way we could simply patch the areas the tarps were covering. The entire roof needed to be replaced. Thanks to the grant dollars available for large home repairs in Ken’s neighborhood—it was a right time, right place kind of fortune.
“This was the best Christmas gift ever!” Ken exclaimed. “They were lifesavers.”
There is certainly still work to be done on Ken’s home. His gutters and soffits need repairs and his yard could use some clearing, but all of this is on hold until we’re into the Spring season. In the meantime, in conjunction with Legal Aid Society, our citation managers are diligently keeping the inspectors informed and buying Ken as much time as possible to have the work completed prior to any court dates or major fines being incurred.
With the roof now being taken care of, Ken can turn his attention to sorting through possessions belonging to his late mother, father, and brother which are all stored throughout his home.