Habitat for Humanity helps locals in Wicomico County
MARYLAND – Habitat for Humanity is known for helping with homes and this month they are applying for additional funding from the USDA to support home repairs in both Somerset and Wicomico County.
31-year-old homeowner Lashawn Ford was attempting to put up a standard fence but didn’t necessarily have the skills or tools to complete the project. Imagine his surprise when Wicomico Habitat contacted him, who were not only willing to fix the fence at no cost to him, but they also threw in a paint job. “We got a little bit of a windstorm, and it turned into a boardwalk is what people called it… They reached out to me, they saw it and they said, “Well you got a boardwalk back there’ and I said yeah, you know, I could use some help fixing it, and they said, ‘Well we can help you with that.”
CEO of Wicomico Habitat for Humanity Molly Hilligoss says that’s exactly what they did! “We looked over there, and it looked like there was a boardwalk. and I’m like, ‘Why is there a boardwalk in this guy’s backyard?’ And then I realized, ‘Oh, he was trying to put a fence up, but he didn’t know how to do it.’ And so, I just went over, knocked on the door, and said, ‘Hey, can we help you?’ and he was like, ‘Absolutely!’ ”
Sheri Ewing is the Director of Family Services stresses how important the Critical Home Repair Program is in this area. So, ability to pay is something we look at. “When you have a low-income person that owns their home or is still paying a mortgage, and roof that used to cost $6,000 is costing $12,000 now, they’re not able to get conventional financing.” She says they have over 150 people on the waiting list and because a lot of these homes in this area are old, they can’t maintain the repairs and need some help. “That could be anything from a roof to floor joints, to the electric pluming, we’ve put in wells, septic, whatever the client needs that they are unable to afford.”
Molly says she loves the work they do and for families like Lashawn, it really doesn’t take much to make a difference. “One of our programs is a Brush with Kindness, and in this case, you know for a couple of hours of our time and volunteers, it doesn’t, you know, maybe a couple of bags of cement, it’s not a big investment but for him, it’s a big deal.” Lashawn said he’s excited to see the final product and says he’s going to leave the building to the professionals. “I do not think I will be attempting anything else, at least by myself.”
Wicomico Habitat says they are determined to close the gap in our waiting list. And they urge homeowners to contact them if they need repairs sooner than later, so they can provide as much help as possible. Until then, they’ll continue to help people, one home at a time.
ReStore Grand Opening
Wicomico County had a grand opening this morning for is second Restore location in Fruitland, Maryland. This opening marked a significant milestone with Habitat for Humanity.
The new location was set in an area that many residents already frequent, and their hope is that this brings new opportunities to the community. Molly Hilligoss is the CEO for the Wicomico Habitat for Humanity and says they outgrew their old space on Isabella Street and needed another location close by.
She says they have everything you could ask for, and the money goes to a good place. “We have appliances, furniture, small items, pretty much anything… We’re building homes, community, and hope here in Wicomico and Somerset County. And so, every item that you donate, we resell it, and then it goes back to funding our mission to build those homes and fund critical home repair projects.”
Their current hours of operation are Thursday and Friday 10:00 am to 4:30 pm and Saturdays they’re open 9:00 am- 4:30 pm. They encourage the community to support so they can continue to help those in need.
