OKLAHOMA CITY —Oklahoma City Police Department (OKCPD) Property Crime Specialists are volunteering Friday and Saturday, June 12-13, with Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity’s (COHFH) Critical Home Repair program to help repair Reserve Arcadia Police Officer Carla J.’s childhood home in northeast Oklahoma City.
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Carla J., who has spent more than 22 years in law enforcement, is raising her 9-year-old granddaughter in the two-bedroom, one-bath ranch-style home she received from her mother, Ruth L., about seven years ago. The house was built in 1959 and still has its original windows.
CUTLINE: (R-L) Oklahoma City Police Department (OKCPD) Property Crime Specialists Dakota Bridestine, Traci Fickling and Jillian Frazee are volunteering Friday and Saturday, June 12-13, at the home of Carla J., an Arcadia reserve officer, who qualified for Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity’s Critical Home Repair program. Photo by Steve Sisney.
The Critical Home Repair program is one of Habitat’s two core programs. It helps low-income homeowners who struggle to maintain their homes because of limitations such as income, age, disability or other conditions. The program is designed to help qualified homeowners with necessary repairs and weatherization services, as well as the installation of safety features such as grab bars and wheelchair ramps.
Carla J. applied for help repairing her older home about one year ago and was delighted to discover she had been accepted into the program — and even happier to learn that several Oklahoma City Police Department employees wanted to help make the repairs.
CUTLINE: Oklahoma City Police Department Property Crime Specialist Traci Fickling helps remove trim around one of the original 12 original 1959 windows at Reserve Arcadia Police Officer Carla J.’s childhood home in northeast Oklahoma City. Habitat’s Critical Home Repair program is replacing 12 windows and completing other repairs to make the home safer, more comfortable, and more energy efficient. Photo by Steve Sisney./
“When I found out Oklahoma City Police Department employees were volunteering, I was like, ‘Wow!’” Carla J. said. “They’re my brothers and sisters. I’m excited.”
OKCPD Property Crime Specialists Jillian Frazee, Traci Fickling, Dakota Bridestine and Melissa Lower arrived before 8 a.m. today and attended a safety meeting before starting work at the home.
The OKCPD has provided volunteers for Habitat’s New Home Construction program for years during the annual Faith & Blue weekend, a faith-based initiative that fosters more inclusive communities by connecting law enforcement and faith leaders. OKCPD Capt. Michelle Henderson recently sent out a query to OKCPD employees to see if they wanted to volunteer to help Carla J., and some employees in the Property Crimes Unit responded enthusiastically.
Carla J. said the repairs will make her home safer, more comfortable and more energy-efficient for both her and her granddaughter.
“I learned from my mother that a house isn’t just a home,” she said. “It is what you make it.”
As part of the program, Carla J. completed sweat-equity hours by helping others with home repair projects. She said she enjoys working on repair projects with Habitat.
“It’s hands-on, and you can learn how to improve your own home,” she said. “I like working with the volunteers, and I like their attitudes. They’re serious about the work, but they have fun.
///Reserve Arcadia Police Officer Carla J. talks with Erich Font, Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity’s Critical Home Repair project manager, outside her childhood home in northeast Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City Police Department Property Crime Specialists volunteered Friday and Saturday, June 12-13, for Habitat’s Critical Home Repair program to help repair the 1959 home. Photo by Steve Sisney.
“I also love volunteer work because you learn so much, and I can really use it in my house,” she said. “Those are valuable skills.”
About Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity:
Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity builds new, energy-efficient, and affordable homes in central Oklahoma. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes, complete homeowner education classes, and purchase their homes at cost with no down payment. Since 1990, more than 1,166 homes have been built in central Oklahoma. To learn more, visit www.cohfh.org or call 405-232-4828. To volunteer, visit
www.helpmpyhabitat.com.
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