There is a 78-year-old gentleman living in his family home with three young children that he and his wife adopted at in Gulfport MS. After Hurricane Katrina, he had some people out to work on his house. They were supposed to make some repairs to the roof and other damaged areas. It was not long after they’d been paid and left that his roof started leaking and causing damage inside the home.
Things only started getting worse. He went to the bank one day to ask a question about the payment he was making, and the lady at the bank questioned why his payment was so high. She worked with him to discover the answer and soon realized that the insurance that he’d been set up with was charging him nearly $8,000 a year, on top of his mortgage payment. Luckily, she was able to help him get new insurance to lower the costs of his monthly payments, but there were more issues on the horizon. He suffered a stroke, losing partial capabilities and mobility through his body. To make things worse, his wife was diagnosed with dementia and is now living in an assisted care facility while her mind slips away.
He is now taking care of three children all under the age of 17, who have no one else to rely upon. He has been searching for assistance, with the help of his brother, who finally heard about Back Bay Mission a few weeks ago. He has offered to help pay for supplies and labor but simply cannot do the work himself due to his disabilities.
After leaving a message on the recording, we were able to go take an application from him. His home will be included in the Back Bay Mission EnergyWise Grant program. In that program, we start with an energy audit. The report that results from that audit provides recommendations for energy efficiency improvements. We then hire a contractor that completes the recommended repairs. We then repeat the energy audit. In addition to the EnergyWise improvements, we hope to help repair the roof leaks and assist with a few other minor home repairs.
To find out more about Back Bay Mission, visit www.thebackbaymission.org Or check out this link to BBM video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QcZdrGB0e4.
If you or your church in the Southeast Conference area would welcome a Back Bay Mission program, contact Back Bay Mission Board Member, Mary Ruth, at 931-787-7914 or marybillruth@gmail.com.
Anyone wishing to donate to Back Bay Mission may do so on the website or mail a check to Back Bay Mission, PO Box 288, Biloxi MS 39530.
