For many years, Felicia Coward lived happily in University City. She beams when she remembers, “I had this apartment I loved! It was so large, it had two sets of bay windows in the living room, and I loved it there.” But when the building was purchased by a new owner and rent started going up, she knew she needed to find a new place to live. “I said to myself, ‘no, I am not giving you all of my money.’” With the help of a friend, she found a very reasonably priced home in the heart of Germantown on Haines Street. She recounts the first time she came to see the place and thought, “This is small and cozy, I like it. I call it my cottage.” The house has a nice big backyard and sits on a quiet street with no outlet so her grandkids can play safely out front. But what sold her was the third floor with the two huge skylights letting natural light pour into the home. Within a week of putting in an offer, everything was finalized, and she became a proud homeowner. That was 2003.
Over the next two decades, Felicia rooted herself in the local community and developed deep bonds with her neighbors. A longtime professional in the social services sector and activist, Felicia describes her home as an anchor that has sustained and supported her in her civic work over the years. However, over time, the need for repairs to keep her home safe became more and more apparent. As is the case for many older homeowners, this increased need for repairs coincided with Felicia’s retirement and decrease in income. The third-floor skylights that had made her fall in love with the house had begun to leak and the ceiling was crumbling under the weight of an old roof with 14 layers of shingles. She was looking at thousands of dollars in repair costs just for the roof and that wasn’t the only critical repair needed in her home. She had been exploring financing options for the needed work when she learned about Rebuilding Together Philadelphia through one of our community partners in Germantown.
In the months since Felicia reached out to us, we have helped her with several critical repairs including a new roof, repairing the damage to her ceiling, balancing her hot water radiator system, installing a new storm door, and implementing various occupational therapy modifications including grab bars in the shower and a new comfort height toilet. By removing the financial burden of these costly repairs, she says she’s free to pursue dreams for her home that she’s been deferring for a long time. First thing on her list she says gleefully, “I’m going to go ahead and get the kitchen done. I’m so excited!” We’re excited for her too.
