HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Volunteers with Realtors Care Day work to help repair homes in communities and provide safety modifications for those in need. The home repair project, by Canopy Realtor Association, recently focused on preserving a home in the historically Black Pottstown neighborhood.
Pottstown resident Florine Thompson is a woman with a big laugh and strong faith in God.
“God blessed us with this home,” she said.
What You Need To Know
- Florine Thompson has lived in her home for more than 40 years, in the historically Black Pottstown community
- She’s fallen several times going in and out of her house because of unstable stairs
- Canopy Realtor Association fixed her front and side porch for this year’s Realtors Care Day
She moved into her Pottstown home with her mother right after it was built 43 years ago.
Thompson's mom has since passed, and her niece Pam Smith has moved in to help her around the house.
“I’m glad that she’s here,” said Thompson.
But, the home isn’t aging as gracefully as she is. It needs a lot of repairs, as Thompson recently fell three times after the stairs on her front porch lost stability, making it hard for her to walk to church every week.
So, as part of Realtors Care Day this year, volunteers with Canopy Realtor Association and other organizations replaced the front porch and repaired the stairs and landing on the side of her home.
The assistance comes after neighbors successfully stopped a developer from gentrifying the neighborhood and boosting their property taxes. Thompson and Smith say they’re blessed that now affordable living doesn’t have to mean unsafe.
“We’re still holding onto where our great-great grandparents developed this community,” said Smith.
Now, Thompson has a new front deck and a new set of stairs on the front and side of her home, allowing her to age in place and honor her ancestors, safely.