What if Home Could Be Where Strength, Safety, and Belonging Intersect?

For 33 years, Janice has called her house in Burgaw home. It’s where she raised her daughter, welcomed her granddaughter, and built a life filled with family memories. But after a work injury forced her to stop working, her world shifted. The bills began piling up. “Food was the biggest thing,” she says. “Everything was slipping. I almost lost the house.” Her uncle stepped in, and after years of struggle, she was finally able to pay it off this February.

Hallway Flooring Before

Owning the home was only half the battle. The house itself had become unsafe. Summers grew unbearable without reliable air conditioning. The old bathtub was difficult and dangerous to use. The flooring was worn and slippery. Even simple comforts like hot water were uncertain. One night, she got in the bathtub and couldn’t get out. “My back… I just couldn’t lift myself,” she recalls. Her home, the place she had fought to keep, was failing her.

A neighbor gave her an application for WARM NC. Soon after, volunteers arrived to restore her safety, dignity, and peace of mind. They replaced the bathtub with a walk-in shower she could use without fear, laid new flooring, installed grab bars, upgraded her locks, added smoke alarms, and brought in a new hot water heater. When summer’s heat set in, they installed an air conditioner that changed her daily life.

Accessibility Upgrades in Bathroom

“This summer has been so hot… that AC has been a blessing,” Janice says. “And the hot water—it makes all the difference.”

WARM NC Homeowner, Janice

Her home, once a daily challenge, is now a place where she can age in place safely. She spends her days reading library books, painting by number, and singing with her church choir. After losing her mother, sister, father, niece, and uncle in recent years, she leans on her faith and her granddaughter’s laughter to keep going. “She just smiles and laughs. That’s what I’ve been missing all these years.”

What happened for Janice is more than a home repair project. It is an example of how communities can prevent crisis before it takes hold. Her story shows that when neighbors and organizations come together to meet basic human needs, people aren’t just able to stay in their homes—they’re able to thrive in them.