ST. FRANCIS, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS) -- A first-time homeowner and single mother are getting some much-needed home repairs, thanks to an emergency grant.
Cynthia Estes is still excited to show you around her new, five-bedroom, St. Francis home.
She’s a first-time homeowner and a single mother to five adopted children. Cynthia moved them here to St. Francis for stability.
“My kids could grow up in a neighborhood where everybody knows everybody.”
Just beyond the front door, crews are hard at work. During the Christmas holiday, less than one year after moving in, the city of Milwaukee was replacing Cynthia’s water meter, when they discovered a big problem.
“They discovered that there was an outside leak. So they did their assessment and they determined that the leak was actually on my side of the property.” This means the broken water lateral or underground leak was left up to Cynthia by the city to fix.
“I was informed that it was my responsibility to have repaired, I was shocked.”
Until she was notified in December, Cynthia says there were no signs of a leak. Now, an unexpected, emergency repair would cost her at least $6,000 out of pocket. Money, she didn’t have on a fixed income.
“I was hoping that it could be held off at least until income tax time, but I was informed that it needed to be repaired right away.”
Desperate for help, with little time, Cynthia called the city of St. Francis and learned she was eligible to receive emergency funding through the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services Home Repair Loan Program.
“I ended up qualifying for a grant which was very, very, I was just really excited.”
Thanks to funding assistance, Cynthia didn’t have to spend a penny on home repairs or make another phone call to the city.
“We contacted the city of St. Frances and said, we have the situation, we’re going to replace this lateral for the homeowner. Do not shut the water off,” said, Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services Housing Division Inspector.
“They’re out there and it’s a lot of people that I’m sure is clueless; I was,” said Cynthia.
Until faced with this emergency, Cynthia never realized the program existed for low-income families in Milwaukee County. Housing division inspector, Tim Tamsen says many qualifying homeowners are not made aware of the resources available.
“A part of the program is accessibility. If you need to have a roller in the shower, convert the bathroom, wheelchair ramp, we can help with that,” said Tamsen.
Cynthia says the program has lifted a burden, which gives her time to refocus on what matters most. In
To find out if you qualify for home repair or emergency funding visit here.