Susan Gadzia’s home at 173 Como St. in Struthers was the scene of a car accident at the end of June 2023. A car ended up in her front yard, destroying her wooden handicap ramp. She was sitting in her living room at the time of the incident. Thankfully the ramp stopped the car from actually running into her house.
“Our Struthers ReStore Manager, Meghan Williams, brought this to my attention. . .” said Habitat Executive Director, David Redig. “I knew we had to do something, and thankfully we have some loyal volunteers who are skilled at building ramps.”
With the leadership of volunteer Tony Nasrallah, a plan was put together, and materials purchased. Habitat utilized funding to Habitat Ohio from the state’s ARPA funds. “I know we have funding on the way specifically allocated for repairs, but this was an immediate need to make sure Susan can get out of her home,” said Redig.
Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning Valley does not currently have a repair program. As the affiliate expands and restructures, a critical home repair initiative is being considered. “Once this state funding is released, my goal is to try and bring as much of it here to the Valley as I can” said Redig. “We are looking at ways to make that happen, which could lead to an ongoing ramp program in the future.”
