LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For unhoused Kentuckians who rely on a wheelchair to accomplish daily tasks and to get from place to place, wheelchair repairs can be a major obstacle.

Standard manual wheelchairs can cost over $100 and, according to a study reported in Harvard Health Publishing, maintenance for a chair costs on average $150.

What You Need To Know

  • The nonprofit, SOS, hosts wheelchair repair clinics for the unhoused
  • The group provides medical supplies to low-income communities, working to increase health equity
  • Those that are unhoused and need assistance with mobility may rely heavily on wheelchairs to get around. 

  • SOS plans to host seven more wheelchair repair clinics in the future.

Chris Maddox uses his mechanical knowledge to help strangers.  

“As a young person I felt like my calling was to be a missionary and I’ve been all over the world to help people in different ways, and this way I can be a missionary right here in my own community,” said Maddox. 

Maddox spends his weekdays as a nurse, but when the weekend comes around, he volunteers his time to repair wheelchairs for people like Robert Tyre. 

Tyre has been using a wheelchair for approximately two years after having a stroke. He says his old wheelchair was not safe. 

 “I had no leg rest. The tire kept coming off the rim and the bearings in the wheels were bad,” he said, describing his old chair.

Now he has a new chair and a new sense of independence. 

Tyre said, “That means I get to make my own medical appointments. I mean, I’m a fortunate person. I have a wife who stuck beside me for all this time, and I can still make some of my own appointments up for myself. Not have to rely on her.” 

The Louisville-based nonprofit SOS provides medical supplies to low-income communities, working to increase health equity. 

“People who are unhoused, that is their access to other resources. So if they do not have a reliable wheelchair or roll later, then they may not be able to get to a kitchen, they may not be able to get to a shelter,” said SOS president Denise Sears. 

SOS works to address health disparities internationally and locally through supplying communities with tools. 

Maddox has been serving others for a long time. But, he says you don’t need a lot of experience to make a positive impact.

“It really doesn’t take any kind of talent to do any of this, it just takes the willingness for people to get outside themselves to help somebody else.”

SOS plans to host seven more wheelchair repair clinics in the future.

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