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Outline of Need:
In rural Sussex County, Delaware, there is a little town called Lincoln with a population of 4,435. Mrs. Queen Williams, who is 72 years old, has lived in her one-story home in Lincoln for 25 years, and has spent most of these years with her husband Oscar. Their aging home was in need of repairs that ranged from a worn out roof to sagging floors. Mr. Williams had a stroke which limited his ability to make improvements to their home. In addition, their only source of income was through a monthly social security check that helped provide for the bare necessities.
How Rural Development Helped:
Mr. and Mrs. Williams applied for home repair assistance through Sussex County Community Development (SCCD), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping low income rural residents repair substandard housing. SCCD continuously maintains a large applicant pool, and estimates that they help rehabilitate more than 80 homes every year. Statistics show that there are more than 6,000 substandard homes in Sussex County. Mr. and Mrs. Williams were on SCCD's waiting list for approximately 3 years before they were awarded a $20,000 Community Development Block Grant to help make their home safe and secure. However, before renovations began, Mr. Williams passed away.
The SCCD contractor who was completing the Williams family's home repairs -- which included new vinyl siding, remodeled bathroom and kitchen, new floor, and upgrades to plumbing lines and electrical wires -- realized there were not enough funds to complete the work that would eliminate health and safety hazards from the home. The contractor recommended Rural Development's Home Repair Program (learn more about this program) to Mrs. Williams. Mrs. Williams visited the Rural Development office in Georgetown, Delaware, in April 2001 to complete an application for home repair assistance. Rural Development provided a $7,500 grant in June 2002 to finance eight new vinyl windows, replace a portion of the roof including new soffitt and facia, new storm door and a new insulated pump house. All the work was completed on the home in September 2002.
The Results:
Mrs. Williams can now enjoy her golden years in her remodeled, safe and secure home.
Mrs. Williams next to her home's exterior improvements: L -- new pump house; R -- windows, storm door and siding.
(December 2003)
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