Thomas and Trish Widener have lived on Widener family land in Washington County since they were married in 1975. Together, they raised two daughters while Thomas worked on a tobacco farm and then at two factories before health issues forced him to stop working. A few years ago, Thomas was hospitalized for six months with a devastating illness.

Thomas and Trish reached out to People Incorporated about building a ramp on the front of their house after Thomas was released from the hospital. They put themselves on a waitlist and then, “we kind of forgot about it,” said Trish.

When Thomas and Trish came up on People Inc.’s Weatherization program waitlist, the Weatherization team came out to their house to run multiple tests and identify issues in need of improvement.

The team found that the Widener’s 30-year-old roof had a leak and would need to be replaced before weatherization could take place. They worked with Thomas and Trish to have their new roof approved through the Weatherization Deferral Repair Program.

“We were tickled to death,” said Thomas. “Because there’s no way on our fixed income, we would have been able to get that done.”

Once the roof was taken care of, the crew was able to begin weatherizing their home. The Weatherization crew installed new insulation in their attic and floors, smoke detectors and a carbon monoxide detector. Crew members went on to ensure that the Wideners’ home was airtight by caulking around their windows.

Finally, the Weatherization program was also able to replace their furnace and window-unit air conditioners with a new heat pump.

But the Wideners’ home improvements didn’t end there.

Thomas and Trish discovered that they also qualified for a USDA Rural Development grant program that would help them remodel their bathroom, making it more accessible for the entire family. A People Inc. housing counselor helped them apply for the grant and coordinated with the Wideners, the USDA, and the contractor to have their $10,000 remodel approved.

“All of a sudden, gosh, we have a new roof and a new bathroom, and our house is airtight, and we have a heat pump, and it was like, ‘Thank you Lord,’” said Trish.

After a year of work on the house, improvements were completed in September 2022.

“We have been so blessed,” said Trish.

“Best advice I could give is call People Incorporated and get your name in,” said Thomas.

Click here to learn more about People Incorporated’s Weatherization program and find out if you qualify.