H ABI TAT FO R H UMA NI T Y
RESTORING
AND REDEEMING — WHEN AND
WHERE IT IS NEEDED /// BY DEBORAH VANCE
What enterprising investor wouldn’t be interested in this property? Before you head out to take a look, it would be good to read a little further… headlines can be misleading. What if the rest of the highlights included: no heat, no water (dry well), no septic, no power. Oh, and the roof problem? It’s on the living room floor. The retro travel trailer? A 1950s-era model that’s barely inhabitable. 40 IHM HEALTH & WELLNESS MAGAZINE
Welcome to Marjorie’s world. Marjorie is a 74-year-old veteran. She came back from deployment to her home. That was quite a while ago. Since then, the house has progressively fallen into disrepair that worsens every season. Hard to believe but true…the roof has for-real fallen into the house and now sits on the living room floor. She lives in the trailer—not nostalgic or hip…mildew-y and sad. Marjorie wouldn’t consider buying this house…even if she could…which she can’t. It’s actually already hers and she’s stuck with it. She is just short of homeless. The journey of her life has left her with few resources. She is healthy and optimistic but that’s not the currency you need to help this house come back to life.
