“I love that I can look out my front windows and see all different kinds of people walking down the street, people who look different than me.” 

What a beautiful sentiment from one of our dear neighbors who has lived on the 400 block of Poplar Street for nearly 30 years -- and now, even better, that window view is protected with a brand new roof! 

We were so grateful for the chance to have invested in Ms. Yvonne’s home, alongside the City of Lancaster’s Office of Healthy Homes, to make sure she could continue looking out those front windows to our beautiful neighborhood for years to come. After a year or so of seeing the signs around the neighborhood talking about the assistance available through the Office of Healthy Homes, she finally called and got enrolled in the program. With grandchildren spending time at her home, she and her family wanted to make sure they eliminated any risk of lead exposure, which thankfully was within the scope of work for the City’s initiatives. They creatively pooled all their funding sources to also address concerns with flooring, walls, doors, light fixtures, bathrooms, and of course – those windows! 

But throughout all the work, one lingering – and daunting – repair was left: a new roof. Especially given the incredible amount of money and effort invested into the interior of the home, SoWe was delighted to step in and provide funding for this critical piece of the repair project. 

“It was a blessing” said Ms. Yvonne, when we called to say she was eligible for our Home Repair and Façade Improvement grants, available to low-income homeowners in the neighborhood. She had experienced persistent roof leaks, causing not just physical damage, but additional mental stress -- an unfortunate and all too common double whammy when it comes to maintaining a home. 

And that is why housing is one of our two focus areas, in tandem with resident leadership, to support both the physical improvement of the homes in our neighborhood, as well as the lives of all the different people who live in those homes and walk our blocks. Here’s to Ms. Yvonne’s new roof and many more years of looking out at our neighborhood!