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For a few years, Ernestine had to carefully navigate her front porch as she entered and left her home. Her porch was made of bricks and concrete but it had started to deteriorate. The combination of loose stones, dirt, and a missing handrail created a daily safety hazard for Ernestine and her guests. She had tried repairing the porch herself, “For over 10 years, we had reapplied the bricks and what have you. The last year and a half or two years, it kind of just fell apart. It wasn't doing it anymore.”
Living just a street over, Ernestine has been aware of Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation for as long as she has lived in her home. She said she visited the office about 10 years ago to learn what YNDC does and how it could support her. Her familiarity with YNDC is how she learned about the Owner-Occupied Home Repair Program, which has helped her before. “A couple of years ago, they did my roof and they did a really good job on that.”
After her experience with her roof replacement, she wanted to see if YNDC could assist her with her safety concerns. Ernestine said she was able to maintain good contact with YNDC’s employees and is working with them on additional concerns regarding her home. “I contacted YNDC to see whether or not I could get some help, and they said I could. There was a little bit of a waiting list and I called just to stay updated on where I was and to stay in contact. One of the representatives had been very nice and considerate to me.”
Now, Ernestine has a brand-new wooden porch at the front of her home. The wooden porch is around the same size as her old one, allowing her to keep a chair outside and enjoy the space comfortably. She’s also no longer concerned about walking down her stairs and potentially slipping on loose rocks.
Ernestine says she does recommend YNDC’s Owner-Occupied Home Repair Program to others. She said when her roof was done, not too many people asked about the repairs, but the porch has caught people’s eye. “Every time people pass here, it's a little obvious it's new. They’ll stop and ask who did it, and I tell them YNDC.”