Peace of Mind Through Home Repairs

To look at Deb Townsend’s home from the outside, few people would guess anything was wrong.  It was a secret she kept from her neighbors, her friends and even her family.

“I just didn’t talk about it,” Deb remembers.

For more than two years, Deb had been living without a working furnace in her home.

“The furnace guy came out and told me it would cost more in labor and parts to fix my 30-year-old furnace than replacing it with a new one.  I knew getting a new furnace was absolutely out of the question.”

Deb had no funds for such a large repair.  As a veteran, she had recently gone back to school as a full-time student with the help of the Veterans Administration.

“I closed off the rooms in my house and I only lived in three rooms on the first floor.  I kept four space heaters going.  Three on the main floor and one in the lower level to keep the pipes from freezing.”

One of the few people Deb confided in was a staff member in that office.

“When she told me about Habitat Omaha’s Home Repair Program, I thought it sounded too good to be true.  But what did I have to lose?”

Deb called Habitat Omaha and was not only approved for a furnace, but also received a new central air unit and a new retaining wall outside her home.  She was so full of emotion, she cried when she heard the good news.

“I feel like I’ve won the lottery of some kind.”

Since having the work completed, Deb says she no longer has the constant worry of electrical heaters heating her home or the possibility of her pipes freezing.

Deb admits her mom still does not know about her recent struggles.

“She only knows about the new retaining wall, but I can’t really hide that from her,” she says with a smile.