Veteran: Anthony, Marine Corps
Work completed: Major repairs to roof, including replacement of shingles and gutters; repairs to siding around chimney; replacement of furnace.
Anthony, who goes by Tony, is a Marine Corps veteran who served as a radio operator from 1990 to 1994. Unfortunately, his service left him with a 100% disabled rating, with cardiomyopathy and asthma. These issues and other health concerns have made it difficult for him to find work to accommodate his disabilities.
Tony lives with his wife, Carol, and their three children — 20-year-old twin daughters and a 17-year-old son. Their oldest daughter recently got married and moved to Lincoln with her husband, but the couple visits frequently. Tony and Carol have lived in their home for 15 years, but in order to keep their growing family comfortable, they needed to replace the furnace and roof.
“Our roof was leaking to where we could see the water spots in the house,” Carol says. “We didn’t have heat during the coldest part of the winter last year. We would stay in our room with our space heater. Tony doesn’t work; I had been out of work … we didn’t know what we were going to do. We didn’t know if the roof was going to fall in.”
Carol called Habitat for Humanity of Omaha and got in touch with their veteran outreach coordinator, Mark. With assistance from The Home Depot Foundation, Habitat of Omaha was able to hire a roofing company to repair and replace parts of the roof, gutters and siding around the chimney, and hired heating and air specialists to install a new high-efficiency furnace.
“Everybody was so friendly,” Carol says. “We’re so grateful for everything that was done. It took a huge load off our minds.”
