It was 1947 when Delilah’s home was constructed. Up on the roof was her father, John White, a double amputee, World War II veteran. He was attaching his roof alongside his neighbors, other veterans. Being Black, homeownership was not easily attainable for Mr. White and his fellow veterans of color. These men, and their families weren’t afraid to put in the sweat equity it took to be homeowners though, and they were provided that opportunity through a program with Flanner House Homes. The self-help home building program provided land from the Indiana Redevelopment Act to build low-cost housing for lower-income families.
The first among this program were the veterans coming home from World War II. Families were selected and asked to pool their labor and work 20 hours per week building homes - their own as well as their neighbors’ homes. Mr. White was among the first to join this program. He and others were trained in all aspects of the construction process, they each specialized in different areas and could provide that expertise in a shared capacity to build their neighborhood. More can be read about this innovative program from Flanner House Records, and it’s certainly well-worth the read. Ms. Delilah Smith has a pretty unique perspective though, she was brought to this home built by her father and their neighbors, from the hospital. With the exception of twelve years of her 72 years on this earth, she’s been at this very home.
“This home is my legacy. My parents were so proud of this home and to be able to continue their love and care for it is such a blessing,” Delilah says with great emotion. “Thanks to Home Repairs for Good, it will now make it to the third generation of the White family.”
Delilah has done her best to maintain this home that she and her family has loved for decades. However, as the years passed and her physical ability declined, the home’s aging began to out pace her resources. A leak into her bedroom from the ceiling and worrisome electrical wiring pushed her to search for help. A call to 2-1-1 pointed her in the direction of Home Repairs for Good in 2020. At the time, only small repairs to the roof were able to be done, the electrical was able to be resolved, but it was noted that quite a few more repairs were going to be needed in order to keep her home safe and sealed. Delilah kept in touch with Home Repairs for Good, adding projects as others were completed, letting us be that age-in-place partner. That is, until 2024 when funding became available under a newer program, Home Repairs for Good’s Home Stabilization Program. Along with replacing her roof and gutters, Home Repairs for Good was able to repair a ramp, remove excess debris from her garage, fix her HVAC and secure her AC from theft.
“It makes me such a cry baby seeing all these volunteers and Home Repairs for Good team work on my home. I’ve been crying for help for so long and now to see it happening, it just makes me overwhelmed,” Delilah fervently said. “I can’t tell you the relief all this has brought me.”
Delilah can count on one hand the houses in her vicinity that are occupied by original families still. Four are down to the second generation, only one original homeowner remains. They all take care of each other and have such pride in their sweat-equity neighborhood.
“Owning a home was never even a dream I could fathom,” Delilah said. “If it weren’t for my parents, I wouldn’t own a home and I wouldn’t be able to pass it to my next generation. The legacy can continue.”
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