Expanded Client Stories
Warsaw Street, 14621
Patty was born and grew up in Rochester. She has three children and nine grandchildren. She lives with her husband and takes care of her grandchildren. Twenty years ago, Patty was diagnosed with Lupus.
Patty bought her house from the City auction for $19,500.00. It was the very last house offered up, but Patty was determined not to go home empty handed. She got the house, but it needed a ton of work. The foundation was sound, but it had no plumbing, no bathroom, no electricity, and no floors. Five squatters and two dogs were living in the home. She received a home improvement loan through her credit union, which provided funding for new floors, remodeled ceilings, new wiring, new sink, new light fixtures, and the entire home painted. In the midst of this work, she found out she needed a hot water heater and a furnace, so she financed that work through Isaac Heating.
Patty qualified for a grant through Ibero-American Development Corp for a new roof and all new windows. In May 2019, the family moved into the home. During the final furnace and hot water heater inspection, the inspector heard water running. A pipe had burst in the wall in the kitchen. Patty had to replace the pipes from the second floor to the basement.
After they moved in Patty began to notice problems with the basement. It was recommended they replace the sewer line because the roots of the tree out in front of the house had grown through it and broken it. After all the investment they had made in the home, replacing the sewer line was an impossible expense for the family. They did not have the resources.
Mold and mildew began appearing. The basement floor was wet and the basement sink was filled with water that would not drain. Patty’s grandbaby has asthma and began to wheeze. They put dryer sheets in the heat vents and burned candles to mask the smell because the stench of sewage was so overwhelming. Patty said, “I was desperate. I would have lost my home. The smell was terrible. I was in the hospital in January with a horrible cough and severe respiratory problems. I could not breathe. I couldn’t hold a conversation.” In February, Patty went to see her pulmonologist and was told to use a Nebulizer every two hours. Her diaphragm was no longer able to work hard enough to push the air through her lungs. Her doctor told her, “You have to move.” However, the family could not move.
Patty said, “You would take a shower and see toilet paper floating up through the drain…it was really bad. If your sewer doesn’t work, you don’t have a home.” Patty called Action for a Better Community. ABC did not have a program that would work so they referred her to PathStone, and through PathStone the project came to RENEW. Patty and her family are now living in a safe and healthy home with a fully functioning sewer line. “If I had 20,000 words, I could not thank you enough.”
