Posted Tuesday, November 22, 2022 6:20 am

By ALLEN MINCEY

Freeda Davis admits she doesn’t move around as well as she did in her younger years, and some normal activities are difficult for her. Now, with the help of Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland’s newest program, she will be able to have a much easier time doing so.

Habitat developed Housing Plus, a comprehensive aging-in-place strategy to help aging adults continue to live in their homes by performing affordable home repairs. Aging in Place is the program that helps with person-specific home repairs and modifications such as installing grab bars to building a ramp. The work is done by local contractors.

In Davis’ case, she was desperately in need of a walk-in shower, and since she was well-known to the organization as a former Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland home recipient, they knew of her need, and wanted to help.

“I’ve been here 11 years, and I love my house,” Davis told the Cleveland Daily Banner as work was being done on her new shower. “I thank Habitat for the help, and Lowe’s too.”

Lowe’s is a Habitat for Humanity supporter, and helps with the Aging in Place program which will benefit not only Davis, but a neighbor who recently had a railing on his front porch installed for his safety.

“It will be a walk-in shower with grab bars and a shower seat,” said Bethany Souza, a United Way of the Ocoee Region VISTA and Aging in Place coordinator for Habitat. She said Davis, having to use a walker most of the time, will have a much safer time utilizing the shower than her present situation.

Souza said that when the Aging in Place program launched, Davis was one of the first to apply.

Davis met all of the qualifications: owning and living in her home full time; owning no other property; is at least 60 years old; has the home in Bradley County; her mortgage and property taxes are current; and the household income falls within 60% of the AMI (Area Median Income). 

Being included in the Aging in Place program was somewhat a surprise to Davis, but not like her first connection with Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland.

“I never realized that I would be able to get a Habitat house … that was just a dream,” she remembered. “Well, next thing I knew, they were calling me to get the loan application filled out with the finances and all of that.

“Habitat is not a handout, but a hand up, but I kept thinking, there’s no way … I can’t get a house. Well, it became a reality.” Davis was the 81st recipient of a Habitat for Humanity home in Bradley County.

Now, through Aging in Place, the walk-in shower is also a reality. It was completed by Montgomery Showers.

“This is really the first program I've heard like this because a lot of people need it,” said Rusty Jones of Montgomery Showers, who with his wife, Carol, installed the new walk-in shower in one day. “This is a big step forward.”

Davis said she would have to wait a day or two before being able to use the shower, but once it all settles, she would definitely enjoy taking a shower in her newly renovated bathroom.

“We really appreciate the partnership we have with Lowe’s with this program,” Souza said, adding that Lowe’s is also helpful in other Habitat projects such as building homes in the local area. The latest Habitat project is a quadplex for four families in Morelock Meadows, near Blythe-Bower Elementary School.

Souza also noted that other homeowners who meet the criteria that may not be Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland recipients can apply for the Aging in Place program.

To find out more about the Aging in Place program, and about Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland, visit the organization’s website at www.habitatofcleveland.org or check out its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/clevelandhabitat.