David becker/ViewTrevan Smith loves the laundry line in the backyard of her North Las Vegas home that was put up by the Senior Home Repair Program. The work also included installing decorative rocks and synthetic grass.
david becker/viewTrevan Smith stands in front of her home of more than 40 years in North Las Vegas, which recently was renovated as part of the Senior Home Repair Program. She said she is thankful for the assistance she and her husband of 50 years, Phillip, received.
Advertisement
There is no place like home, and the intent of the Senior Home Repair Program is to keep homes looking and feeling like home, or better, for seniors age 55 or older.
From leaking roofs to unfit floorboards or the addition of grab bars in baths, the program funds repairs of up to as much as $5,000.
"We've done hundreds of homes and mobile homes," said Ida B. Davis, senior services manager for the Las Vegas-Clark County Urban League, which administers the Senior Home Repair Program through the Martin Luther King Jr. Senior Center in North Las Vegas.
"I want to stress that when I say mobile homes, as well. We have the resources. We have the money. We have the staff, and we'd like to have more clients," said Davis, who pointed to success stories that include Trevan Smith's full home renovation.
When Smith's daughter encouraged her mother to apply last year, plumbing repairs were badly needed, and there was wood paneling on the walls harkening back to the home's 1960s origins that Smith wanted removed.
"It was just plain awful and I wanted it gone," Smith said.
Originally from Welder, Texas, just outside of Houston and San Antonio, Smith first came to Las Vegas in 1961 and worked for a time at the Stardust. Her husband, Phillip, has suffered from a series of strokes. He and his wife purchased the home while he was a Teamster out of Union 631.
"I can remember when there were no freeways out this way," said Smith, a mother of nine adult children. "Do you know on the (Feb.) 22 we'll be together 50 years?"
Recognizing the home had not withstood the test of time as well as her parents' lifelong romance, Mae Dixon, a PBX operator at the Tropicana, first called a local agency that in turn put in a call into the Senior Home Repair Program, "and it took off from there," Dixon said.
"I love the whole thing," said Smith, when asked to point out the room she's most proud of. Freshly painted walls have replaced the wood paneling that had begun to mold underneath.
"Steve Wynn did the kitchen," Smith said, speaking of the Wynn Foundation's Clean Sweep program, which funds repairs, and in some cases will provide complete renovations from landscaping to appliances.
It was through Clean Sweep that the exterior of the Smith home was renovated, a new heating and air conditioning unit was added and new roofing was installed. The Wynn program also added new gravel to the front and backyard and painted the exterior.
"They even put my clothesline up," Smith said. "Because I'm a country girl."
The program is designed to complete repairs that will enhance a senior's quality of life and contribute to health and safety within the home.
According to Senior Home Repair Project Coordinator Ronald Evans, the program has an average turnaround time of one month from application review and acceptance to the completion of repairs.
"What I do," said Evans, a veteran of the construction industry, "is if someone is a senior 55 or older and of moderate- to low-income, own their own home and they need repairs, I help them out. If they need a hot water heater, a new roof, a new air conditioner, work on a leaky faucet or anything that's energy efficient, makes their life easier, safer or better is what we do."
There are 50 projects currently active, with applications coming in from the city of Las Vegas, Clark County and North Las Vegas.
The three governments are funding the program, and additional donations from the private sector, from individuals or corporations, such as the Wynn Foundation's efforts, also are welcome.
"You'd be surprised," Evans said. "You go into homes where the same appliances have been there 40 years and they're ticking time bombs."
Funding for emergency repairs also would be an addition to the program, Evans said.
The day after 67-mile-per-hour winds swept through the valley, Evans fielded calls from seniors whose roofs had been badly damaged. "I'm going out to visit those homes and see the damage. But they will have to wait a month for repairs."
Seniors can apply from year to year. Smith has requested that carpeting throughout the home be removed. Since her husband's last illness, it has been difficult for Phillip Smith to get around and for Smith to keep the carpeting clean.
"Ms. Davis is going to help me take care of that," Smith said. "Being old, I cannot stand to vacuum every day, so they say they might do something about it. Laminated wood or something I can mop over, with my husband being ill and all and I'm the caretaker."
After 21 years administering programs for seniors, Davis is passionate about reaching out and making certain this growing segment of the population is aware of the agencies that are working to make their lives a little easier.
"And our program serves a dual capacity," Davis said. "While we're accessing repairs in the home, we're there and we can connect those seniors to other programs, if needed. If we go in and we see that they may benefit from the Meals on Wheels program, or the Senior Law program or other senior services. In that way, we do a lot more than home repair.
"My goal," Davis said, "is that seniors are provided with the support that will keep their quality of life much as it was before and to improve that quality of life overall."
Seniors can pick up an application for the Senior Home Repair Program at the Martin Luther King Jr. Senior Center at 2420 N. Martin Luther King Blvd., Building B. Seniors must meet Housing and Urban Development guidelines of low- to moderate-income and must own and occupy their own home.
Archived Editions| Advertising | Contact The Staff
