Ana Gutierrez has always loved living in her home in South Tucson. She shares the home with her husband and son, and they even raise a few chickens in their backyard. But last winter, their roof started leaking and needed repairs. Her husband needed foot surgery around the same time, which meant they could not afford to fix the roof and pay his medical bills. That’s when they decided to apply for Habitat Tucson’s Critical Home Repair Program. They were so excited when they were accepted!
After a brief inspection, it was clear they needed help with more than just their roof. Ana’s family had been living without air conditioning for a while and Tucson summers were particularly brutal.
Ana says, “The AC will make a huge difference especially during the summers.” Habitat replaced the swamp cooler with a proper AC unit, but our work didn’t stop there.
Due to a stroke Ana suffered in 2015, she has trouble with stability. Habitat Tucson installed handrails and a new walk-in shower. Ana is careful when walking around the house, but now she doesn’t have to worry about stumbling over the tub.
Habitat also replaced their electrical system and with the help of Tucson Electric Power, outfitted their home for the installation of solar panels. This not only helped reduce the electric bill, but they are excited to use clean energy.
And as a final touch, multiple “A Brush With Kindness” volunteers came out to paint Ana’s family’s home. It was an amazing internal and external transformation. Their house felt brand new with all of the new additions.
Ana was so grateful for the volunteers that came out and helped paint.
“It is such a blessing!” Ana says.
With these new updates, they can all go about their normal routines without any fear of danger. And Ana and her loved ones can age safely in place.
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