Voices from H.O.M.E.: Meet Tresa
In life, many of us work to provide for ourselves, our families, and others, for the majority of our lives. We look forward to retiring from the job force and enjoying the lives we have worked so hard to create and maintain. In Illinois, the average age of retirement is 62, with social security benefits becoming available at age 67 – and so for many, retirement is not just a choice, but a privilege that comes with new problems and challenges to overcome.
When retirement finally arrives, many seniors transition to living on a fixed income with little room for unexpected housing repairs. Miss Tresa was lucky enough to have an engaged alderman that made connecting older adults in the 21st Ward with resources a priority. As soon as she approached the cusp of entering “older adulthood” Alderman Brookins provided her with a list of resources & agencies, including H.O.M.E. Though she had not yet retired from her job as a Caseworker for DCFS, she was excited to take advantage of these new opportunities and called Mr. Mike to arrange for housing repairs.
A native of the south side of Chicago, Miss Tresa is used to taking care of things herself, including fixing things around the house but the number of small repairs piled up quickly as she recovered from a major medical procedure. Her neighbors know her as an incredibly helpful person who's always willing to lend a hand—and now she's found an organization that she says helps her do even more.
In the summer of 2021 a simple request to replace a broken faucet transformed into pipe replacement, light fixture installations, and even repairing issues from a less-skilled electrician. Miss Tresa beams with joy as she recounts the installation of her new ceiling fan, purchased by one of her children for mother’s day. “My old one stopped working, so my son bought me a new one and I was excited to put it up… but he wasn’t around to help! So when the Technician came out and saw the fan wasn’t working, he installed the new one quickly. I’ve told several people about H.O.M.E., and god willing I’ll tell several more about the good work being done for older adults.”
While many older adults live on a fixed income after retiring, they still need to be able to afford housing repairs when they suddenly come up. For more than two decades, H.O.M.E. has filled a much-needed service gap for low-income senior homeowners living in Chicago's south and west-side neighborhoods. and we couldn't do it without our beloved community of supporters. Your generous donations allow us to assist older adults like Miss Tresa in living with pride and dignity in their homes for as long as possible. Miss Tresa says she's "looking forward to peace, quiet & happiness" — those are the things we all deserve in our golden years.
