FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – It doesn't take much to bring out the roaches.

A simple tap from a vacuum head sends a cluster of them scurrying out from under a door frame. These are German cockroaches, attracted to unsanitary conditions. It's a sight all too familiar to Thomas Grant, Sr.

“I've been in the pest control business for almost 8 years, and what I've noticed is that the bulk of the problem with roaches and bedbugs are where people are low-income and don't have the means to get rid of it,” he said.

Professional pest control treatments alone can run into the hundreds of dollars, a sum that might be out of reach for North Carolina's poorest families. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 13 percent of North Carolinians live below the poverty line, currently defined as $26,200 a year for a family of four.

If a homeowner can't get rid of an infestation, Grant said they often simply put up with it. That puts them at increased risk of disease. Cockroaches carry a number of diseases and while bed bugs aren't known to spread disease by themselves, their bites leave open wounds that can become infected.

The issue prompted Grant to launch the H.O.P.E. Project of North Carolina. The nonprofit provides pest control services for free or at reduced cost. Once Grant's team gets in the door and does a pest control treatment, they then look for further needs, such as furniture, drywall or paint repairs.

“If we can change the inside of the house, then the person that comes out of the house can be more peaceful and more hopeful,” he said.

The service goes beyond initial repairs. Grant said the problem with many charity programs is they don't establish an ongoing relationship with the client. Grant's team will spend up to a year checking back in, implementing additional pest control treatments, carrying out repairs and providing life coaching. 

Grant finances the project through donations via GoFundMe.