Mr. W.

Dundalk, MD

2019

Mr. W., a 67-year-old homeowner in East Baltimore County, has lived in Baltimore his entire life. For most of his career, he worked at Ruckert Marine Terminal, where he was a skilled jack-of-all-trades. There he did office work, worked with cranes and forklifts, and maintained work vehicles. It was a great livelihood - he had plenty of responsibilities, the pay was good, and his boss respected him.

Unfortunately, Mr. W became unable to work when he was diagnosed with heart disease. While he was recuperating in the hospital, his roof began to leak, and it only got worse when he returned home. Though he tried to repair the roof himself, his fix didn't work and the problem became more severe. Eventually, much of the insulation and ceilings on Mr. W's second floor had fallen

apart completely. There were also holes in some of the first floor ceilings due to plumbing leaks.

Thanks to a grant from Lowes, Rebuilding Together was able to fix all this and more. Local contractors were hired to replace his roof, install insulation and drywall where it was needed on the second and first floor, and conduct major electrical repairs to address unsafe wiring. A volunteer team worked to install a sink and shower rod to make his upstairs bathroom fully functional, repaired his unsafe back porch and provided fire safety equipment.

Above: insulation and drywall were installed in Mr. W's pantry.

Below: insulation and dry wall were installed to repair Mr. W's living room ceiling

Health and Safety Priorities Addressed:

Roof and drywall repairs will keep the home warm and dry
Electrical repairs and fire safety equipment will keep the home safe from fire risks
Repairs to handrails and the back porch will reduce fall risks and help keep Mr. W safe
Plumbing repairs and installation of a sink in the upstairs bathroom will help Mr. W keep his home clean and maintained