ACI, along with Portlight Strategies, Inc. and the Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity, recently improved the accessibility in the homes of three New Jersey residents with disabilities. These improvements were made with the help of ACI's project director, Sue Pniewski, and financed with the help of the ACI Housing fund.
VIRGINIA
Virginia on her brand new steps!
Meet Virginia, a single woman who lives in Jackson, NJ. She is 76 years old and suffers from chronic, severe back pain, and it is because of this pain that Virginia is forced to use a walker to help her get around better. When she submitted her application to NOHFH, Virginia explained that she was in need of a better way to exit her home because she was so afraid of falling when she tried to use her walker. After discussing the options of either a ramp or widened steps with Virginia, she chose the steps because she felt the ramp would just be too much for her and she doesn’t feel she is going to require a wheelchair. Thanks to the partnership formed between Portlight Strategies, ACI and Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity, Virginia is now able to safely exit her home with the assistance of her walker without fear of falling down her steps!
BARBARA AND MARY
Completed bathroom entryway, grab bar and sink.
Meet the Marshall Sisters. Barbara is 72 years old and suffers from a broken left shoulder; her sister, Mary, is 76 years old and currently battling bone cancer that has left her unable to walk. When the Marshalls submitted their application to NOHFH in January 2014, they were requesting that the bathroom be made accessible because Mary’s wheelchair could not fit through the bathroom door. At the time they submitted, NOHFH’s A Brush with Kindness program had more applications than funding. Thanks to the partnership formed between Portlight Strategies, ACI and Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity, Barbara and Mary can now safely and comfortably utilize their bathroom and shower!
