Repairs Still Making an Impact Five Years Later
Recently, Lili, a homeowner who received repairs from Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago five years ago reached out to us to let us know how impactful the repairs she received have been and continue to be in her daily life. We caught up with Lili to talk about how she’s doing now and get a sense of the difference those repairs are making as she continues to live in the same home with some health challenges.
Lili has lived in the Chicago area for more than 35 years. She moved into her home in Blue Island in 2001 and has been there ever since. Lili loves her community and specifically bought a home in her neighborhood because living in a diverse area is important to her. Around 10 years ago, she was stricken by multiple medical conditions within the span of a year. She was no longer able to work due to severe pain and exhaustion caused by these conditions. “I was unable to keep the house up due to my financial and physical limitations,” said Lili. “That's when Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago came into my life.”
After reading about Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago in her community’s weekly newsletter, Lili decided to apply for home repair help. She gave us a “grand list” of all the repairs that were completed on her home back in 2016. Electricians worked in the home’s attic, front porch and bedroom to fix old wiring. Additional outlets were added around the home so they would be easier for her to access. Volunteers added railings on the front porch, which she told us has helped her and her guests on countless occasions.
The work done by Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago and their volunteers has changed Lili’s quality of life at home. “The repairs have allowed me to be safe and more comfortable in my home. I don't need to worry about electrical fires because Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago helped with that, plumbing has been fixed in various places around the house which I could not take care of myself and having blackout blinds on all of the windows is a huge help, I leave them all down almost all of the time because light can cause me a lot of pain,” explained Lili. “I cannot count the number of times the banisters on the basement stairs have saved me from a fall. With my medical conditions I sometimes get dizzy or a trigeminal neuralgia pain strikes and I need to hold on to something to keep my balance, this happens many times throughout the day.”
Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago made sure to work with Lili ahead of the project day to account for her medical conditions. Staff walked through Lili’s house with her to ensure that any safety hazards present would be taken care of. “Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago was incredibly sensitive to my medical conditions which was then and still is a major help to me. They did an excellent job setting my expectations because you never know what will truly be able to get done on project day and what ends up taking too long,” said Lili.
Everyone should live in a safe and healthy home–Rebuilding Together’s work is helping neighbors across the country make this a reality. Join the movement to help neighbors, like Lili, receive the home repair help they need.