Atlanta families given free home repairs ahead of the holidays

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Several Atlanta families will have homes ready for the holidays, thanks to free home repairs. The homeowners tell Atlanta News First reporter Sawyer Buccy they are going into Thanksgiving week feeling blessed and grateful.

Brown paint is gone, and the blue paint is being rolled on – out with the old, in with the new.

“People that care, you know? That means a lot. It would mean a lot for me and my husband to feel comfortable in our own home. We ain’t able to do this,” said homeowner Rosa Rocquemore.

A nonprofit called Rebuilding Together has partnered with Lockheed Martin to provide free home repairs. The company is helping 13 communities across the country as part of the Veterans at Home initiative from Rebuilding Together.

“I know that if organizations like Rebuilding Together Atlanta didn’t exist, these elderly people would not be able to stay in their homes. Over time they would become untenable,” said Nichelle Mitchem-Adamson with Rebuilding Together Atlanta.

Rebuilding Together Atlanta is a 30-year-old nonprofit that helps seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and low-income families with free home repairs.

“In order for us to do our work, we have to partner with extraordinary corporate citizens such as Lockheed Martin,” Mitchem-Adamson said.

It’s not just Rocquemore’s house that’s being worked on.

There’s a fresh coat of paint on Bessie Pearl’s house, which had work done by the same group of volunteers earlier this week.

“It means a whole lot to have people out there who are willing to sacrifice their time, and then maybe in the future, God forbid, they get in this situation, there is someone that says, ‘We appreciate everything you’ve done, so we are here to help you too,’” Pearl said.

Volunteers helped paint the porch, they finished some landscaping and focused on the exterior of the home.

“I love it. It is wonderful. No words, it is just a blessing. I am so happy. Joyful. Excited. God is good. God is good,” Rocquemore said.

Copyright 2023 WANF. All rights reserved.