Strengthening Housing Stability for Seniors
FHLB Cincinnati’s Carol M. Peterson Housing Fund (CMPHF) is investing today to ensure housing for the future by helping low-income seniors and individuals with special needs make critical home repairs. The fund provides grants ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, allowing homeowners to remain safe, independent and connected to their communities.
Creative Compassion, Inc. of Crossville, Tenn. first teamed up with Highland Federal Savings and Loan Association in 2019, securing over $320,000 in CMPHF grants to benefit 25 households to date.
Creative Compassion is tackling the affordable housing crisis in the Upper Cumberlands by building and maintaining homes for low-income families. The CMPHF is integral to their home repair program.
“Right now, the Carol. M. Peterson Housing Fund is our largest grant provider for home repairs,” said Mark Baldwin, Deputy Director at Creative Compassion. “We look for those who need something done to their home that will make it safer and more comfortable, and that number is growing every day.”
CMPHF funds have helped Crossville senior Gloria Wright with upkeep of the home she has lived in for 50 years – a home she helped build from the ground up. From replacing the home’s original single-pane windows to installing a ductless heating and cooling system, grant funds have worked to improve her quality of life. A fixed income made finding or saving the funds to make the repairs and modifications on her own difficult.
Her favorite usage of funds updated the home’s bathroom which also serves as a laundry room. The room suffered from peeling paneling, a leaking bathtub, mold and other issues. These concerns were compounded by a complication discovered by the local contractor when doing the repairs.
“They pulled the tub out, and he called me over,” said Wright. “He said, there’s no drain line. Your water was going out completely under the concrete out to the dirt.”
Today, the bathroom looks unrecognizable thanks to new walls and paint, an updated vanity and a newly-installed toilet and shower.
“I’m proud of it. I’m so proud,” said Wright. “Everybody comes in and brags on it because they saw my old bathroom.”
Kathy VanWinkle, also of Crossville, has lived in her home since 1994 and used the fund to install insulation and a new HVAC system. Most recently, funds were used to update the room she feels most at home in, the kitchen.
“I’m tickled over my kitchen,” said VanWinkle. “They took out the top cabinets because I had to stand on a stool to reach them. Not very safe.”
Other changes to the room include updated countertops, a larger sink, a new stove and more. VanWinkle experiences mobility challenges, and these updates have provided her with a safer and more accessible area to cook for herself and others, including her favorite dish - potato cakes.
Home repairs, such as those made to Wright and VanWinkle’s homes, not only help seniors age safely in their homes but can have a lasting impact felt by their families as well.
"These repairs make the difference between them being able to stay in their home or having to go to a nursing home or stay with their kids. It is glorious to be able to pass the house down one day," said Mark Baldwin, Deputy Director, Creative Compassion.