Paulette Monroe has been at Mason’s Healthcare for the past two weeks after suffering from a mild stroke.
Monroe, 66, who owns her home on Gilliam Avenue where she has lived for the past 25 years, is one of 73 people whose homes in Kosciusko County will receive improvements by United Way of Kosciusko County’s Day of Caring volunteers Wednesday.
Volunteers from Zimmer will help fix Monroe’s shed that needs reshingled and install new smoke detectors in her home as well as a carbon monoxide detector. Safeway Door also will repair her overhead garage door.
Monroe said she found out about the Day of Caring after seeing an application form and filling it out for assistance.
She said she received assistance through Day of Caring last year to have her flower beds weeded.
The Day of Caring committee is overseen by United Way of Kosciusko County, Housing Opportunities of Warsaw, Kosciusko Senior Services, Grace College and DePuy.
Monroe said she does not have children and her husband died a year and a half ago. With her recovery at Mason’s from her stroke, she said she is glad to receive Day of Caring assistance.
Monroe said she hopes to return home by Tuesday in time for Day of Caring to see the work done on her home.
“It means a lot to have this work done, and there are a lot of people who need the help but are afraid to ask,” Monroe said.
Besides assistance from Day of Caring, Monroe has benefited from other local programs. She received a new water heater and furnace in June through the Emergency Home Repair Program administered by Housing Opportunities of Warsaw.
“When HOW employees walked into the house there was sewer gas that had a strong odor so we put a sewer trap in and helped repair that,” Brandie Hamman, HOW housing counselor said.
Hamman said Monroe also received an overhead fan in her bathroom because she had a gas water heater in an enclosed space in her bathroom that was a dangerous situation. She also received an electric water heater.
Hamman made an application to the Federal Home Loan Bank through Lake City Bank to get funding to replace Schramm’s 10 windows that were deteriorating.
Her front entry door and rear entry doors also will be replaced through Housing Opportunities of Warsaw Neighborhood Impact program sponsored by Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis.
“The windows were older and there was lead paint found around the windows, and she had high utility bills because of the deteriorating windows,” Hamman said.
Millwood Roofing and Construction employees are installing the new energy efficient windows at Monroe’s home. The work began Thursday and will be completed in the next 10 days.
