Ms. C, age 89, was born in Baltimore and spent part of her childhood in Virginia before returning to the city at age 14. She has called Baltimore home ever since and has raised three children. Her journey to homeownership began in the 1980s when a coworker encouraged her to consider buying a home instead of continuing to rent. After waiting a few years, Ms. C decided she was ready. When she arrived at her current neighborhood, she knew there was something special about it. At one point in time, her neighbor across the street owned and operated a candy store. The house needed some work, but she liked both the home and the community around it. She has now lived there over 40 years and is one of the neighborhood’s longest standing homeowners.

After a lung cancer diagnosis led to her retirement from the former Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Ms. C’s home became increasingly difficult to maintain. A few years ago,  problems with the plumbing disrupted her everyday life. After work was completed on the water system outside her home, Ms. C was left without properly functioning cold water upstairs. For months, she had to adjust how she bathes and uses water in her home. She later discovered the house also has aging galvanized plumbing and a leaking main drain that requires significant repairs. At the same time, Ms. C learned that her aging furnace may not last much longer. The cost and scale of the work left her unsure of what to do. “After a while, you learn to deal with it. I just didn’t know what to do. When they told me what they would have to do, I couldn’t afford it.” — Ms. C