written by Deborah Schagenn, Hands on Housing Program Specialist

All of our clients at Hands on Housing are very deserving people. That said, every once in a while we meet a client that is without a doubt, more deserving than most. Marie Arnold, age 82, lost her husband in 2012 after enduring a solid three years of his hysteria, disorientation, and very loud outbursts of frustration.

Marie and Ollie were high school sweethearts from Bastrop, Texas, so losing him was really losing a lifetime of partnership. Unfortunately she didn’t lose him on the day he passed away; the dementia had taken him from her many years before that day. They had raised 5 children together and buried two of their children due to unrecoverable health complications. Marie is very proud when she speaks of the way she and Ollie raised her children. There was one point in time where Ollie had sustained a very serious back injury while truck-driving, and could no longer work.  They were so impoverished at this time that, in their desperation, they sought help from social services. The advice that came was to pull her two eldest children out of high school and have them work to support the family. Marie refused and instead, took it upon herself to work 2 jobs and keep her 5 children as well as her husband afloat. How she maintains such an outward conduct of humility and kindness is inexplicable after knowing about the hardships with which she’s been faced in her lifetime.

When Marie applied for housing repair assistance with Hands on Housing it became evident very quickly that she needed help immediately, not later. Marie’s preliminary application simply requested some carpentry repair on her front porch. Unbeknownst to her, the porch was the very least of her problems. Her electrical service was a 30AMP service from the 1940’s that was designed to run only lights for the house. Connected to it were 4 window AC units, all the house lights, and her microwave. The other side of the electrical box was an open live circuit sitting right behind her couch. All her outlets were worn and duct taped together. Her gas hot water heater had clearly been back drafting and burning the unit black from the ignition. Another problem Hands on Housing recognized right away was that the fumes emitted by her gas-powered hot water heater were being vented directly into one of her bedrooms. Gas-powered hot water heaters should always be vented to the exterior of the home as the fumes are active carbon monoxide. After further inspection it was determined that her gas lines were not large enough to handle a gas hot water heater at all.

The life threatening nature of these fire hazard issues would have justified most homeowners in being impatient and irritable; not Ms. Arnold. Through-out the entire application and construction process her demeanor was one of patience, gratitude, and peace, always greeting both Hands on Housing staff, and contractors with a smile and a hug.

Hands on Housing was able to install a new electrical service and an electric hot water heater so that we, and she, can now sleep safely and soundly.