From Seth Harrison, CCA's Director of Housing and Facilities--
I met Betty a few months ago when she was referred to our Housing Restoration Program. Lazara, her caseworker, came and visited with me about her situation, and set up a time to meet with Betty and review her home so we could make a list of needed repairs. Betty was 77 years old and her hearing aides didn’t function properly, which made communication very difficult for her. Because of the hearing issue she didn’t have a telephone, she only communicated with written correspondence, yes, in the age of email, cell phones, and tweeting we were writing letters.
When Lazara and I met with Betty at her home it was in very bad shape. The majority of it was beyond repair. The home didn’t have functioning plumbing and the roof and walls were deteriorating away. The kitchen was in horrible condition with a rusted out sink, no oven or stovetop, the countertops were gone and now only pieces of old plywood sat on top of the cabinets which were also falling apart. Her hot water heater was gone--it had quit working and been removed years ago. Her refrigerator was broken, and she was using the small freezer space to keep a few items cool. She was also very angry about some issues she was dealing with. It was a heartbreaking picture of a person who had been alone for quite awhile.
It happened about the middle of the meeting, when Lazara asked her about some pictures on the wall and she began telling us about many of her family members and friends. She talked about New York, her brother who lived in Gainesville, and her other brother who was a “pretty good salesman” for Sears. Over the next few months we met and visited with Betty numerous times and repaired various items in her home. We were all very blessed to see her begin to smile more often and open up to us by sharing many stories of her life.
When we repaired her garage door opener she gave everyone high fives. When we replaced the old plywood on her cabinets with laminate tops and a new sink she smiled and went on about how beautiful they were. The attached picture shows her proudly standing in her new kitchen. We brought her two air conditioners and she would only accept one. She said, “nobody should have cold air blowing on them when they are sleeping cause it will make you sick.” When we repaired the drain lines to her bathroom and kitchen by connecting them to the sewer lines (the original cast iron pipes had rusted away to nothing) , she was so happy and thankful to have this new bathroom to use.We were in the process of selecting the flooring for her bathroom when I received the sad news that Betty had passed away. I will miss her very much. I will miss her coming into my office, I will miss going to her home, and I will miss writing those letters. At first I was frustrated that we didn’t have the opportunity to complete her housing restoration project, but then I realized that it wasn’t the completion of the task at hand, such as the plumbing or the countertops that mattered. They were important and much needed items, but what mattered the most to Betty was the “being there.” The last several months of her life were spent enjoying the company of some folks from CCA whom she allowed to come into her life. Her family later told me that they hadn't seen her smile in years--only in the last few months of her life when she began to open up to us. Thank you so very much Ms. Betty for including us in your life and blessing ours in the process.
--Seth
