Volunteers, Habitat program restore a beloved family home

Longtime Saint Paul residents Larry and Beverly Halcomb recently found themselves caught in a predicament many homeowners come to dread: the need for immediate, extensive home repair. The need became more and more apparent even as the possibility of seeking financial help grew more and more slim, until the Halcombs happened to notice an advertisement in their community newsletter describing the requirements for A Brush With Kindness (ABWK); Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity’s home restoration program that pairs low-income homeowners with able-bodied volunteers.

The elderly couple applied for ABWK and were delighted to receive help with repairing their deteriorating home and garage. Work on their property started in June and quickly progressed, thanks to 85+ willing volunteers from Five Oaks Community Church in Woodbury and The Kinney Family Foundation.

“Everybody seemed to know exactly what they were doing,” Larry recalled. “They had great group leaders. Everybody helped and nobody goofed around. Their ladders were all out and people were always coming and going. And Muffins had to greet them all,” he added, referring to the couple’s friendly Lhasa Apso, who kept a watchful eye on the backyard portion of the project.

In the end, after days of working 3-4 hour shifts during warm summer weather, the volunteers effectively pressure-washed, primed and painted the house and garage, replaced four windowsills that had rotted away and installed two new windows, mounted new gutters along the back of the house, and best of all, repaired the retaining wall in the back garden next to the shady patio.

“Bev and I sit out back a lot in the summertime,” Larry explained, “when it’s not too hot. I tried to help a little on the retaining wall but they said to go and take care of my wife, instead.”

Beverly, who is disabled, uses a cane to get around. Neither she nor Larry could keep up with the physically demanding nature of home maintenance, and after 39 years in their quiet neighborhood, both were reluctant to consider leaving the place they still affectionately called home. “We were newlyweds when we moved here,” said Beverly. “It’s a nice house.”

The Halcombs didn’t know what they would have done without ABWK, as they had few alternatives to consider. “They (the volunteers) could do so many different things,” said Beverly. “We didn’t know how we could do those windowsills at all, and even if we could have found a place to do it, they would have charged us too much and we couldn’t afford it.”

The home and yard transformation was so remarkable that compliments flowed in almost as soon as the volunteers left: “Everybody that sees the house thinks it looks really nice – the kids next door, and the lady across the street,” said Larry.

And Larry and Beverly couldn’t be happier or more appreciative. When asked whether they would recommend ABWK to others seeking similar help, the couple’s answer was sure and immediate: “Oh yes! They did so much for us. We’re very well satisfied with the whole thing.”

Story and Photo Contributed by Rebekah Dahlberg