Providing Access: Two Homes, One Mission

Most of us don't give much thought to walking through our front door or moving from one room to another. We grab our keys, head out for the day, and come home without thinking twice about it.

But what happens when those everyday activities suddenly become difficult? When you can't safely enter your home or reach your bedroom, bathroom or laundry room?

Home should be a place where we feel safe and comfortable, especially when we're facing unexpected challenges. For two Greenwood, Indiana, residents, serious medical conditions created new obstacles within their own homes.

Through its Immediate Impact program, the Garrett Family Foundation was able to help both men make their homes more accessible.

A Safe Way Home

When a Greenwood, Indiana, couple faced an unexpected medical setback, the Garrett Family Foundation didn’t hesitate to step in to help.  The husband suffered a stroke, paralyzing the right side of his body and his wife reached out to GFF with a challenge: because they rent their home, could we build a ramp?

We accepted the challenge and coordinated closely with the homeowner to design and build a safe, secure way to enter the home, giving the couple freedom and independence to come and go with confidence.

A Secure Path to Independence

Another Greenwood resident needed assistance making his home more accessible after a serious spinal cord condition affected his mobility. In order for him to return to his home, adjustments were needed to make his home usable with his new situation.

GFF quickly got to work widening three doorways throughout the home, allowing him easier access to the bedroom, bathroom, and laundry room. These modifications may seem basic, but are essential for his dignity, hygiene, and health. Now he can move about the main areas of the house freely and safely.

These may seem like relatively small construction changes, but they make a significant difference in someone's ability to navigate their own home safely and independently.

“As the Foundation has grown and changed, we’ve discovered new ways we can help people. We’re able to utilize our construction resources to address very specific needs,” says Emily Griffin, President of the Garrett Family Foundation. “We were able to tailor our help to what each person needed. That’s what Immediate Impact is all about. No application is exactly the same, and how we help has to fit the person and their specific needs.”

For these two families, a ramp and three wider doorways have helped remove barriers that made everyday life more difficult. And during an already challenging time, being able to feel safe and comfortable in their own homes can make all the difference.