Repairs

Longtime married couple Mike and Janice grew up in Seattle and began dating in high school. They live in Kent, where they have been in their home since 1976. They have two children, a son and a daughter. Their son currently lives at home with them, and their daughter and her husband live close by. 

Throughout their working years, Mike worked as a welder. He also enjoyed hunting, a lifelong interest, and spent much of his free time outdoors. Today, he enjoys growing vegetables in their garden, raising chickens, and spending time outside.  

Janice, who has been diagnosed with MS, is wheelchair bound, which means that important improvements were needed to make their home to be more accessible for her. Although they had long been aware of Habitat for Humanity and remembered Jimmy Carter’s involvement with the organization, they did not know they could receive assistance themselves. Their case manager connected them with Habitat’s repair program. 

During their repair project, Habitat SKKC completed several improvements to their home, including installing new flooring, replacing round door handles with lever handles, completing trim work in the bedroom, and installing grab bars in the shower. The team also provided Mike and Janice with information about other programs that might be able to assist them with future repair needs.  

The recently completed repairs have already made a difference in their daily lives. Mike explained that standard door handles can be difficult to use because he has arthritis and Janice is in a wheelchair. The new door handles are easier for them to operate. The new flooring has also improved Janice’s mobility throughout the home. Mike noted that the lift used to move Janice from bed now glides smoothly across the floor, making daily caregiving easier. 

They expressed appreciation for the Habitat team, noting that staff pointed out additional issues, offered guidance on future assistance, and connected them with resources for further repairs. They felt supported throughout the process and were grateful not only for the completed work but also for the information and encouragement they received. 

Looking ahead, they hope to stay connected with Habitat and would welcome the opportunity to work with the organization again if future needs arise. The repairs have improved both their physical comfort and peace of mind, and they expect the changes to continue benefiting their quality of life. 

This project was made possible by the generous support of the 2026 Lowe’s Repair Grant.

Deana has lived through many challenges, but one of the most stressful was watching her home slowly deteriorate while she struggled to find help. An active leak in her roof allowed water to pour into her living room, and despite applying through a city program for low-income homeowners, months passed without a solution. Eventually, she learned that no contractor had accepted the job and her paperwork had been forwarded to Habitat SKKC.  

That referral changed everything. When Habitat became involved, Deana immediately felt supported. Habitat SKKC staff visited her home and assured her that the paperwork she had already completed would be sufficient.  

Like her struggles to find help with her home, Deana’s life is a history of resilience. Originally from Oklahoma, she worked as a sheet metal worker and was able to transfer her job to Washington when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Deana and her children moved so she could spend time with her mother during her final weeks. Deana eventually settled in Federal Way and remained in the home she shared with her ex-husband, though after he left it became difficult to maintain. 

Deana is proud of her children and the lives they have built. Following Deana’s advice to pursue a trade, her daughter became an electrician, worked in the field for many years, and eventually became a teacher at the apprenticeship hall. Her son, after overcoming medical difficulties earlier in life, found stable employment in aircraft manufacturing and maintenance. Deana’s greatest hope was that her children would never have to endure the hardships she had faced. Both of her children are now married, and Deana is the proud grandmother of a four-year-old grandson. 

Now retired, caring for others remains central to Deana’s life. She looks after her 85-year-old aunt, who recently lost her husband, and she regularly assists a neighbor suffering from serious health issues. She adds, “I take care of people; it’s what I do.” 

As a person who has devoted her life to caring for others, Deana was happy to feel cared for by the Habitat SKKC repair team. The roof replacement was completed in less than a week, a remarkable turnaround after a long period of uncertainty. In addition to replacing the roof, Habitat later helped remove two massive maple trees and trimmed another oak tree whose falling branches had been damaging her home. The trees stood nearly eighty feet tall, and Deana described them as “monsters” that constantly threatened her roof. Having them removed brought an enormous sense of relief. 

The repairs to her home have dramatically improved Deana’s sense of comfort and security. She explains, “I no longer have water leaking into my living room because of the roof they put on. And I no longer worry myself sick about limbs falling onto my roof because the tree has been taken down now. Habitat has been my salvation.” 

Dan, a 78-year-old army veteran who has lived in his Kittitas home for nearly 30 years, has survived the Vietnam War, personal tragedies, and even a tornado touchdown. Despite the adversity he has faced, he hasn’t lost his positive outlook on life. When his home needed repairs, the Habitat SKKC Repair Team was happy to help serve a veteran who dedicated his life in service to his country.  

Dan grew up in North Carolina. When his parents divorced, he relocated to Idaho with his mother after she remarried. He grew up on a small horse ranch with his mother and stepfather until his stepfather died in a tragic accident while working on his car. After that, Dan and his mom moved to Oregon. His mother later remarried again to a truck driver connected to Ellensburg, Washington, and Dan eventually ended up moving to the area. 

When he turned 18, Dan enlisted in the military on December 29, 1966. He went in under the buddy system with a childhood friend. The military buddy system pairs enlisted soldiers with a partner for support, training, and safety, and they can remain partnered throughout their service. 

Dan served for two years, including during the Tet Offensive in 1968. During that time, the best friend he enrolled with was killed. Dan had to escort his body home and speak with his friend’s family, a difficult experience. He was given 90 days to return to service to keep his rank, and so he re-enlisted and went back, volunteering again for Vietnam. During his time in service, he was also stationed in Alaska and Germany and was a Sergeant E5 when he left the military. 

Around 1973, while waiting for orders at Fort Knox, Kentucky with his wife and their 18-month-old son, the family was caught in a F5 tornado. The tornado destroyed houses, put them in the hospital, and severely injured his wife, who broke her femur and hip. Dan himself was injured in his eye. A captain had found his infant son, miraculously safe, in a field after the storm. When they returned later, there was nothing left of the house except the concrete steps. 

After that difficult period, he and his wife divorced. He returned to Ellensburg after leaving the military for the second time. Once out of the military, Dan worked various odd jobs, including at local Twin City Foods and Anderson Hay and Grain. Eventually, at 65, he retired. 

In 1998, he had a big stroke of luck when he bought a lottery ticket and won a small amount of money. On his father’s advice, he used that money to pay off his home. Paying off his home gave him stability, and he has lived there ever since. 

He now has a girlfriend named Sharon, and they have been together for 14 years. They met at bingo and still play the game on date nights. He spends time with her regularly, helping her with appointments and visiting each other. “That’s the love of my life,” he said, beaming. 

Sharon was the one to first tell him about Habitat SKKC’s repair program and suggested he reach out a few years back to have his home repainted. Since then, the team has continued to help him with repairs, including replacing his toilet and adding new pavers in his yard. Having the repair team help him stay safely in his home means he can focus on managing his finances carefully, spending time with Sharon, and finding ways to stay active.  

Sometimes, when he tires of watching sports on television, he’ll turn on music and dance in his living room, what he referred to as “acting a fool.” His playful spirit keeps him youthful and helps him maintain his positive outlook. When the Habitat SKKC team worked on his home, he turned oldies on and invited everybody inside for lunch. “It’s a party in here,” he remarked. 

Having Habitat SKKC in his life has improved things for him, and he appreciates everything the team has done for his home. He has lived in his home for over a quarter century, and it means a lot to him to have this stability after a life full of ups and downs. Dan said, “I just keep on trucking. You’re only as old as you feel.” 

The project was fully funded by a generous grant from The Home Depot Foundation. 

Lawrence moved to the region in 1978 from Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked as a telephone installer. He relocated to get away from the harsh winters. Lawrence enjoys living in the Pacific Northwest and is not bothered by the cloudy weather. He adds, “I’m more optimistic. When people say, ‘The sun’s not shining,’ I tell them the sun’s shining every day if you look past the clouds. That’s what life is about.” 

After moving, he continued working in the field, designing high‑capacity circuits and completing central office inventory. During the last 12 years of his career with the phone company, he traveled across the country to take inventory of equipment in central offices and remote locations, including mountain sites and climate‑controlled vaults buried underground. 

Lawrence has two children, both living in Washington. His son has worked in the development of specialized medicines, and his daughter graduated college with honors in language studies, taught English in Japan through the JET Program, and now raises her two young sons. 

In retirement, Lawrence spends much of his time helping other people. He assists friends and family with car repairs and household projects such as small electrical work, plumbing, and drywall. When he is unable to help, he tries to refer people to someone who can. He sees this as a way to continue using the skills he developed throughout his career. 

In addition to volunteering, Lawrence bakes cakes in his spare time. He runs a small home‑based baking operation from his basement, where he built a workspace with a sink, refrigerator, and oven. Some of his specialties are rum cake, orange liqueur cake, piña colada cake, and a banana split cake made with multiple layers and icings.  

While Lawrence has an active lifestyle and many hobbies, ongoing issues with his right knee made it difficult for him to walk up and down stairs and maintain his balance. This made accessing his front door more difficult and led him to Habitat SKKC. He has visited Habitat stores for many years to buy materials for his many projects, but though he had long been familiar with Habitat SKKC’s work, he had never used our services until recently. 

Through Habitat’s repair program, the team built him a ramp, and additional repairs were completed, including replacing leaking plumbing between his toilet and the main vertical stack and replacing the deck boards and the front steps of the “fixer‑upper” Lawrence purchased nearly 30 years ago. The ramp construction took approximately two weeks. Never one to sit by while others work, Lawrence assisted with parts of the project. While the repair team worked at his house, he prepared meals for them, including barbecue ribs, chicken, salads, and baked items, as a way of thanking them. 

Over the years, he completed extensive repairs himself, including removing debris, replacing flooring affected by dry rot, refinishing floors, repairing rim joists, installing drainage, and rebuilding structural elements. He described the Habitat repairs as “A difficult job. I was trying to figure out ways to do it, but it was not something I wanted to tackle, and I thought Habitat will assist me with that.” 

The repairs to Lawrence’s home reduced his stress and improved accessibility. He has since built a handrail for a neighbor facing similar challenges. He sees the repairs as beneficial for his future as his knee issues continue. He doesn’t only think about his own life, but those of his friends and neighbors who have difficulty using the stairs. He adds, “The ramp has made me feel a lot more comfortable when people come to visit.”