For many people, asking for help can be hard. But when Clara Mays learned her home’s failing electrical system posed serious safety risks and would have to be replaced, she knew she would need help affording the pricey repairs. Clara was told it would cost upwards of $10,000 to replace the 70-year-old electrical circuit in her 1950s home. The retired grandmother, who lives on a fixed income and sells handmade blankets to supplement her social security, simply didn’t have that kind of cash. Clara’s neighbor encouraged her to contact the Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA) to see if we could help.
Through DURA’s Emergency Home Repair (EHR) program, Clara qualified for a 0% interest, perpetually deferred loan to complete the updates to her home’s electrical circuit. As part of our role in the project, DURA managed the process to find and hire a qualified contractor and oversaw the work from start to finish.
“The first thing I thought was that I’m getting help from a company that respects someone needing help, not belittling them,” said Clara. “I felt like I was talking to a neighbor or a friend when working with DURA. I’ve had other experiences at my age asking for help and been turned away.”
In addition to fixing the electrical problems, DURA also conducted a free lead risk assessment, lead mitigation and other upgrades that addressed health and safety issues in Clara’s home, which she shares with her daughter and 4-year-old grandson, through the Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Program. This program is designed to protect children under the age of 6 from exposure to lead-based paint, which is commonly found in older homes. The contractor identified lead hazards in Clara’s basement and remediated them at no cost to her.
“DURA was there in a very desperate time for us,” said Clara. “I can’t say how happy and pleased I am with what DURA did. The friendliness, the care, keeping in touch, all of that. I don’t know what we would’ve done.”
Clara said she worries about what would have happened if she hadn’t sought DURA’s assistance.
“I would have probably sold the house for a loss. I couldn’t even afford a decent apartment and I could’ve ended up on the street.”
DURA works with homeowners across the metro-Denver area to help residents stay in their homes through affordable loans and grants for home repair and improvements. Some programs are also available to qualified renters. Learn more about DURA’s housing rehabilitation programs and see if you qualify here or call us to speak to a member of our staff who can walk you through the application process.
“I would tell anyone and everyone to work with DURA. They treat you with respect, they do all the groundwork so you don’t have to and step in and say ‘let’s get it done.’ For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like just an old woman and I never felt put on a shelf with DURA.”