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Special Update: Channel 9 Coverage Featured– Habitat’s Critical Home Repair Program Restores Safety and Dignity for Disabled Senior in NE OKC
Ms Betty and Rev Johnson and Penny
Seated, Betty W., 75, smiles during a recent visit from friends, Penny Emery, and St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church Parish Fellowship Coordinator Rev. Debra Johnson. Both Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity’s Critical Home Repair program and her church have been integral in helping Betty to age in place in her 1940s home. (Photos by Kevan Goff-Parker)
SPECIAL UPDATE: Enjoy coverage by DeeAnn Stein about Betty’s story on Channel 9 on Dec. 1-2, 2025: Habitat for Humanity’s Critical Repairs Keep Residents Warm as Winter Approaches – News9.com
About 25 years ago, Betty W. bought her home, a one-story 1940s ranch house in northeast Oklahoma City, next door to her mother and stepfather. She later retired from the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center’s insurance department to care for her mother, who had dementia.
About 10 years ago, Betty’s home needed significant repairs.
“Every winter, the floor furnace would work for about three weeks and then the pilot light would blow out,” Betty said. “My old windows were drafty, and my energy bills were very high. I didn’t know what to do, so I kept the problems to myself.”
After her mother’s passing, Betty developed chronic venous insufficiency that left her disabled. One day, she was trapped in her bathtub for hours until she said, “Prayer got me through.”
Betty turned to St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church. Rev. Debra Johnson encouraged her to apply to Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity’s Critical Home Repair (CHR) program.
Through the CHR program, Betty received a new HVAC system, electrical panel, walk-in shower, 15 new windows, four new doors, new flooring, siding, paint and plumbing. Church volunteers also replaced her shaky wheelchair ramp.
“I’d shake like Elvis—shake, rattle and roll— before they installed the new one,” Betty said.
CHR Project Manager Erich Font said the work was supported by CHR volunteers, including the ROVERS (initially Really Old Volunteers Enjoying Repairing Stuff) or (new Really Outgoing Volunteers Enjoying Repairing Stuff), contractors and about 20 church members.
“Betty’s CHR project is the first to be funded by a $1.5 million FHLBank Topeka Affordable Housing Program grant, which will support major repair and weatherization projects through 2025,” Font said. “The additional grant money helps us to do so much more for low-income homeowners.”
COHFH Chair/CEO Ann Felton Gilliland said the grant funding and other donations are a Godsend for Habitat’s CHR program, especially during this time of year as the weather turns colder.
“This funding helps ensure that low-income homeowners can get the critical repairs they need to live safely and comfortably, no matter Oklahoma’s extreme weather,” Felton Gilliland said.
Through the program, some of the many life-changing improvements include:
– A new HVAC system
– A replacement electrical panel
– A walk-in shower
– New siding, paint and flooring
– Plumbing repairs
– Fifteen new energy-efficient windows
– Four new exterior doors
– A brand-new wheelchair ramp installed by church volunteers
Today, Betty said her home is far more comfortable now since CHR’s and her church’s volunteers dedicated their time to make her home safe and secure.
“There’s cool or warm air in every room and I enjoy showers again,” Betty said. “I am so grateful for everyone who showed up.”
Rev. Johnson said the volunteers are “God’s hands because it is the Lord’s work they’re doing,” and promised her church will continue to help Betty in the days ahead.
$1.5 Million Grant to Transform Home Repairs for Low-Income Families
Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity (COHFH) has received a $1.5 million grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka. This transformative investment will allow up to 60 low-income homeowners to age in place with dignity and safety. Each project will provide up to $25,000 in improvements through the organization’s Critical Home Repair program.
For 16 years, Critical Home Repair has served more than 800 homeowners in the greater Oklahoma City area. The program has relied on donations, private foundation grants and profits from the ReStores to fund essential repairs and weatherization services. While this support has been vital, operating on a strict budget has limited the help it could offer.
COHFH Chair and CEO Ann Felton Gilliland said the grant arrives at a crucial time when repair and weatherization costs have reached record highs.
“While we are blessed to live in one of the most affordable places in the country, home prices and construction costs nationwide continue to rise,” Felton Gilliland said. “This funding helps to ensure that our low-income homeowners can get more of the critical repairs they need to live safely and comfortably, no matter Oklahoma’s extreme weather.”
The grant’s impact is already visible in Betty W.’s life (see her story), the first homeowner to benefit from the new funding. After decades in her northeast Oklahoma City home, Betty was hesitant to ask for help, despite ongoing health difficulties and living in a dilapidated 1940s home. CHR and Betty’s church helped fund critical safety upgrades and other improvements, allowing the senior citizen to stay safe and comfortable in her own home.
“I’m so glad for my church’s help and that they encouraged me to reach out to Habitat’s Critical Home Repair program,” Betty said. “It has made a world of difference.”
Cutline: Below on left Betty’s cottage features a classic white-picket fence. Thanks to Habitat’s Critical Home Repair program, it is now a safe and comfortable haven again.
Cutline: Below on right, Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity Critical Home Repair Volunteer Coordinator Israel Viezcas (left) and CHR Field Supervisor Aidan Perrin (right) pose with Betty W. (center) early in the home repair process.
Betty at Restore Home
CUTLINE: Above, left, Betty W. smiles during a recent visit in her newly restored home.
New Unit
St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church Parish Fellowship Coordinator Rev. Debra Johnson shows off the new electrical box
Above left, Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity Critical Home Repair Volunteer Coordinator Israel Viezcas (left) and CHR Project Manager Erich Font (right) work alongside a volunteer (center) and others to weatherize and repair homes for limited-income homeowners.
Above, left, a wheelchair ramp and replacement electrical panel. St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church Parish Fellowship Coordinator Rev. Debra Johnson shows off the new electrical box. A few of the 15 new windows, a new walk-in shower, a new HVAC unit, and a new bathroom window.
