Accessible upgrades for aging homeowners

Through our Aging in Place program, Habitat aims to help older adults make the upgrades and repairs necessary to ensure their homes are accessible and safe to continue living in as they age. These stories exemplify our work to provide these accessible accommodations across the U.S.

Through our Aging in Place program, Habitat aims to help older adults make the upgrades and repairs necessary to ensure their homes are accessible and safe to continue living in as they age. These stories exemplify our work to provide these accessible accommodations across the U.S.

Habitat for Humanity of NW Metro Atlanta

Linda loves her home in Powder Springs, Georgia. In the decades she’s lived there, however, the circumstances of her life have shifted a bit.

When the 73-year-old started using a walker and rollator to help her get around every day, she found her home was no longer functional for her mobility aids. Her bathroom door was too narrow for her to access, and she also found herself dealing with multiple leaks and plumbing issues.

Overwhelmed at the idea of tackling necessary updates on her own, Linda was delighted to partner with Habitat NW Metro Atlanta. The affiliate identified ways to update Linda’s home and made the improvements with the help of an Atlanta Regional Commission grant. Habitat helped make her bathroom mobility-friendly, with a walk-in shower and new floor. Linda’s home also received new plumbing throughout. “This was an answer to my prayer requests from Almighty God,” Linda says.

The upgrades will allow Linda to age safely in the home and community she loves. “The upgrades and much-needed repairs will enable me to stay in my home until I die,” she says. “I am very happy with Habitat for Humanity.”

Linda's renovated accessible shower.
Selfie of Linda smiling.

Columbus Area Habitat for Humanity  

Alfred is an avid cook who loves to entertain friends and family in his home. But radiation therapy has left the 77-year-old so fatigued that he has trouble getting around his house on his own. Determined to heal from his medical treatments in the security of his own home, Alfred needed adjustments to make the house safe and accessible.

After partnering with Columbus Area Habitat for Humanity, Alfred now has sturdy new railings to help him get inside his house safely, as well as grab bars in the shower, a taller toilet and user-friendly faucet handles. He’s especially excited about the no-trip, smooth-surface flooring in his dining room, which allows him to safely serve family and friends home-cooked meals. “It’s 100% better,” says Alfred, who shares that his well-being has improved tremendously since these much-needed updates. 

Habitat for Humanity of Palm Beach County        

At age 70, Linda hasn’t slowed down. The resident of Florida’s Palm Beach County supplements her social security income by selling homemade baked goods and babysitting her great granddaughter. However, she sustained serious injuries in an equestrian accident including the loss of an eye, and needed changes in her home to accommodate her needs during recovery and into the future.

Habitat for Humanity of Palm Beach County was able to help Linda make critical updates, including a low-lip, step-in shower, reinforced flooring and modified faucet handles. These improvements have helped Linda’s healing process and her desire to safely remain in her home for the rest of her life.

Linda says she is “crying happy” at the results and loves to share her story of partnering with Habitat with anyone willing to listen. Up next on the active septuagenarian’s list: volunteering in Habitat Palm Beach County’s ReStore or office.

Kenneth sitting outside his home.

Helping homeowners age in place

For Topeka Habitat, Habitat’s Aging in Place program has become a cornerstone of their work — just as the population the program serves continues to be a cornerstone of strength in the community.

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Close-up of yellow Habitat-branded work gloves on porch railing.

Accessible upgrades for aging homeowners

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Close-up of yellow Habitat-branded work gloves on a porch railing.

Aging in Place resources

Our resources hub is a launching point for the other housing organizations to learn about and implement Habitat’s innovative aging in place solutions, resources and data with the goal of helping even more older adults age in the homes and communities they love.

A lasting impact: Dale Larson shares why he gives to Habitat

Larson shares why he supports affordable housing and why he believes it will take all of us coming together to create a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

While volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity build site in the early 1990s, Dale Larson witnessed firsthand how having a safe and affordable home helps a family build a brighter future. The experience inspired him to do more to advance affordable housing for all. That year, his company, Larson Manufacturing, a manufacturer of storm windows and doors, donated dozens of products to Habitat Greater Sioux Falls to help ensure homeowners had safe and secure homes.

Since that first donation, The Larson Family Foundation has sponsored land purchases, home repairs and new home construction. Larson’s generosity has also funded Habitat’s U.S. research and measurement work, our efforts to foster connection and resource sharing across our U.S. affiliate network, and capacity building work to allow us to serve more families during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Larson also has funded Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Projects and Habitat ReStores. Most recently, as a testament to his longstanding commitment to Habitat, Larson donated an extraordinary gift of $30 million to the organization – the largest cash donation Habitat has ever received from an individual.

Larson shares why he supports affordable housing and why he believes it will take all of us coming together to create a world where everyone has a decent place to live.   

What inspired you to get involved with Habitat?

Larson Manufacturing is related to the home construction industry, and we wanted to be able to make a difference in our sector. So we were interested in working with organizations like Habitat that supported affordable housing. I think we’ve donated roughly 50,000 storm doors during the period of time that we’ve been involved with Habitat.

Also, as a family through The Larson Family Foundation, we wanted to bring attention to issues affecting children. Working with Habitat gave us the opportunity to partner with families to build decent housing where they can raise their children in a safe and healthy environment.     

Dale Larson shaking hands with Jimmy Carter

In what ways do you hope your recent record-breaking gift will inspire others to get involved?

In the past, when our company has raised funds for our local community, it helped increase awareness of important issues and motivated others to give in greater numbers. I thought, “I’m going to try to raise the town’s aspirations to get them to be involved.”  I saw how that worked locally, and I knew that it could be done on a larger scale.

I believe we must all work together to increase access to affordable housing, which affects people all across the country and the world. My hope is that our gift will inspire more people to give to Habitat, whether that’s previous donors who might consider making a larger gift or first-time donors.

How does it make you feel when you see the impact of your gifts to Habitat and how you have helped families achieve strength and stability through better shelter? 

I think it really comes down to when you see the individuals get their keys. I think that’s the part that really says they’re going to have a different, transformative life from now on. And that’s the part that really drives it home for me.

Why do you think it’s important to donate?

I think my father was a pretty good example. One of his businesses was a grocery store, and he helped about 20 to 30 families all the way through the Great Depression. He taught the way he lived. We learned from his example that we should share the things that we’ve been given.

If your great-grandchildren were reading this interview 15 years from now, what you would want them to hear from you?

I’ve just been asked by my children and grandkids to write something down about what kind of a good life I’ve had. And so I sent them an extensive letter telling them what I did and that I thought they could be able to do it, too. For instance, they can tithe as they see fit to help other people. It doesn’t necessarily have to be to a church, but it could be an organization the church helps, for instance, like Habitat. And they can also tithe their time, volunteering for Habitat. I wrote about how it makes you feel good when you share your good fortune with other people. I think that holds true for my family and anyone else who wants to make a difference in the lives of others.

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Group with shovels and large donation check on build site

A lasting impact: Dale Larson shares why he gives to Habitat

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