MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Habitat For Humanity of Greater Memphis is offering solutions for Memphians who do not have the resources they need to live independently in their home.
A new $30,000 grant from Lowe's is making this job easier.
“Daily life before this…It was hell. It was miserable,” said disabled Memphian William Cox.
For three years, Cox said he struggled to navigate around his home after being hit by a car. The crash caused him to lose his legs, and eventually several fingers.
“I’m just being honest, I was about to give up, because I wanted to stay in my house,” said Cox.
The Memphian's home was not built for his new life in a wheelchair, making it harder to enjoy the things he used to love. Something as simple as climbing stairs presented new challenges to Cox. But a couple of improvements from a local non-profit eventually made things a little bit easier.
In the past year, Habitat for Humanity's Aging in Place program has been upgrading Cox's home, making things a little easier to reach and allowing Cox to move around more efficiently. Improvements include a new roof, wheelchair ramp, bathroom and wider door frames.
“Over 7,000 homeowners in our community might have a need for this work. We’ve done a lot. We’ve changed a lot of lives. There is a lot of work still to go,” said Jessica Hord with Habitat for Humanity.
According to Hord, Aging in Place has helped over 1,100 homeowners. Next year, the non-profit hopes to remodel more than 200 homes. Cox hopes his story can make a difference and get more support for the program, so it can change lives just like it did his.
"I can do everything now," said Cox. "From the bottom of my heart, thank you, everybody.”
Habitat said Aging in Place will start taking applications again around the middle of 2024. To stay up to date or see if you can help the non-profit, you can check out their website here.