Absolutely Colorado: Non-profit helps fix up Colorado Springs woman’s house
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- One woman is thankful for the fresh start she's been given. A non-profit is stepping up to help renovate a house she's set to move into the end of this month. But the work is proving to be more costly than expected. In an "Absolutely Colorado" way, volunteers are all donating that they can.
A gaping hole in the basement ceiling is just one of the many problems that plague the 1940's Colorado Springs home.
It's old, and it's seen better days. But it's a new page for Donna Cruz.
"I pay $975 a month rent and my Social Security is not much more than that, so it has kind of been a struggle," says homeowner, Donna Cruz. "So once I get in here, I have no more rent, no mortgage and I can slow down and enjoy life."
Donna has continued working to pay the bills. She was recently gifted this home from a friend who passed away. But fixing it up isn't going to be easy.
"We have no water whatsoever," says director of communications at Bright Leaf, Jenna Melliadis. "That is obviously a massive priority."
And that's not all...
It has lead pipes, asbestos and it's an electrical nightmare.
"For Donna, she needs a lot of help with her electrical panel," says Apache founder and electrician, Fred Ramirez. "We've got to replace this one and one inside and then there is a lot of electrical work that was done illegally."
Realizing the renovation at hand, Donna found help with Bright Leaf Incorporated.
"If they hadn't stepped up, it's work that wouldn't have been done," says Cruz.
"Senior citizens in our communities that are struggling and need all of these different home repairs and all of these accessibility adjustments and they just do not have the funds," says Melliadis. "That's where we are here to help."
Through donations, the non-profit provides free home repairs to low-income and disabled seniors and veterans across Colorado.
"And we are so grateful, they genuinely donate their hours, their time," says Melliadis. "We've been really really blessed to get certain organizations to donate materials. For instance, this house, we need a new water heater, there is none here whatsoever, and a new furnace."
Donna's house needs thousands of dollars' worth of work. Meaning Bright Leaf really relies on those vendor partners who are willing to work for free.
"Well we just do it because we care," says Ramirez. "And I mean I know my office manager gets on me for doing stuff for free and not claiming it, but it's not what we are here for. We are here for helping our community."
And the generosity doesn't go unnoticed.
"They're wonderful," says Cruz. "Good people, good communication. It's like family."
And while it's not yet move-in ready, there are signs of life, love and blessings everywhere you look.
"It's like home," says Cruz.
The non-profit is in its early days, founded only a few months ago and doesn't have state or federal grant money just yet. As you can imagine, this is just one of the many homes they are working on. If you want to donate, you can do so here.
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