Stories

“Habitat Has Transformed My Life Twice.”

Cheryl doesn’t take the sound of a doorbell for granted. When the chime bounces through the halls of her home, it’s the sound of company.

“I couldn’t hear my doorbell before,” she shares, describing how hers had stopped ringing – until last month when Habitat Metro Denver volunteers repaired it. “People would come to the door, but I didn’t know it. Now, I am not so isolated.”

Cheryl says it’s these and other little things about working with Habitat that have made a big impact on her life. Cheryl originally purchased her home from Habitat Metro Denver in 1997 and raised three children in the three bedroom Thornton residence. Before Cheryl and her family moved into their Habitat home, they’d been living in a small, rent-subsidized apartment.

“When I walked in the door of this house for the first time, I started crying because it was so beautiful,” Cheryl shares.

While raising her family in the home, she went to college and earned both a teaching degree and a master’s degree. Cheryl was a special education teacher until 2016 when she was disabled in a car accident. A few months ago, her social worker told her about the Community Aging in Place – Advancing Better Living for Elders (CAPABLE) program. Launched by Habitat Metro Denver and the Colorado Visiting Nurse Association, the program provides medical support and home repairs to improve low-income homeowners’ comfort and mobility.

When she was accepted into the program, Cheryl welcomed Habitat volunteers back like old friends.

“On the first day after the repairs, I was already warmer because the wind wasn’t blowing in through the front door like an air conditioner,” she said.

In addition to insulating the front and back doors, the volunteers installed light sensors in Cheryl’s hallway so she can see when she gets up at night. They added texturing to her front and back steps to prevent slipping, installed a hand-held shower head in her bathroom, and added a hand railing to her front walkway.

“Habitat transformed my life twice,” said Cheryl.