Non-profits Work Together to Help a Veteran in Need

When Sea Island Habitat for Humanity (SIHH) received funds from State Farm Insurance Company that could provide emergency home repairs for a veteran, we asked another nonprofit, Operation Home, who routinely provides emergency home repairs throughout the tri-county area, if they had a family in need.  Fortunately, they did. We were happy to notify Mr. Henry Major that his much-needed handicap modifications could be done.  

Mr. Major of Mt. Pleasant served with the United States army from 1951 – 1959 and during his enlistment served his country in the Korean War. In recent years Mr. Major’s health has declined and he is no longer able to move around his home without assistance. His family realized that planning ahead for his health issues may mean the difference between continuing to live in their own home or moving to a wheelchair-accessible facility.

The SIHH staff met with Mr. Major and his wife to discuss the repairs and it was decided that the family would benefit greatly from a bathroom retrofit. Without a handicap accessible bathroom, residents in wheelchairs must take a standard plan and retrofit it to include features like 36-inch doors and 60-inch turning diameters in the bathroom, a process which can quickly become very expensive.

The project was evaluated and the scope of work was estimated at $9,000 for the addition of a new bathroom that would be ADA compliant. SIHH began looking for partners to help with the funding, materials, and staffing needed for this project. “We were thrilled when State Farm, Operation Home, Realtors Housing Opportunity Fund, Charleston County, East Cooper Habitat, and Architect Tom Baker all agreed to partner with us to ensure Mr. Major had a new bathroom,” said Tamara Avery, Land Development Manager at SIHH. “Each organization was able to bring a critical piece of the project to the table to complete the bathroom.”

The financial support came from Charleston County Community Development Department $4,000, State Farm $3,000, Operation Home utilizing grant funds from the Realtors Housing Opportunity Fund $2,000. The construction support came from East Cooper Habitat for Humanity and SIHH. We couldn’t have completed this project without the help of each partner.

“This new bathroom is going to make my life a lot easier for my family,” said Mrs. Major. “My husband will now be able to move about our home freely.”

SIHH critical repair program offers low-cost minor repair work performed to alleviate critical health, life and safety issues or code violations. Projects include: a change or repair of materials or components; a modification for accessibility.