HomeFront volunteers uplift people in need

Two Milford homes were among 60 homes getting makeovers on Saturday thanks to an organization that offers help to low-income families.

About 1,800 volunteers took part in the 30th annual HomeFront Day on Saturday, making repairs to 60 homes in 22 municipalities statewide, 10 of which belong to veterans.

For nearly three decades, HomeFront has organized a day each year where volunteers make major repairs to the homes of qualifying homeowners who for various reasons can’t afford the repairs themselves. In the past 29 years, the organization has made repairs to 3,000 homes at a cost of $50 million.

The volunteers come from a variety of organizations that locally include the Home Depot, which is one of the day’s major sponsors; Medtronic in North Haven, Entrepreneur Organization of New Haven, Church of the Good Shepherd in Seymour, the Compassion Response Team, St. Ann Parish and St. Gabriel Church, all of Milford, St. George of Guilford, St. Mary Church in Branford, St. Thomas the Apostle of Oxford and the United Methodist Church of Clinton.

Volunteers from St. Gabriel and St. Ann churches in Milford worked on homes on Meadowside and Brewster roads.

Those qualifying for the repairs include older adults living on fixed incomes, single-parent households, disabled homeowners and lowincome families. The repairs are made at no cost to the residents.

There are a growing number of homeowners who are getting older and can’t afford major repairs to their homes, according to a HomeFront press release.

“By the year 2035, one in three households will be headed by someone over the age of 65,” it states. “A slowly recovering economy forces residents of every age to make difficult decisions over which basics to forego. The deferred maintenance stemming from this finds many Connecticut homes in severe disrepair.”

“Too many of our veterans and their families face major housing challenges, aggravated by issues like unemployment, age and service-related disabilities,” said Erica Headlee, Veteran Housing Grant Manager at The Home Depot Foundation, which contributed to HomeFrontDay.

ARNOLD GOLD — NEW HAVEN REGISTER Larry Romer of Milford paints the front porch area of Nancy Palmer’s home in Milford. This is one of sixty homes in New Haven County that are being revitalized for low-income families during the 30th annual HomeFront Day.

ARNOLD GOLD — NEW HAVEN REGISTER Paul Fletcher of Milford tapes the kitchen ceiling of Nancy Palmer’s home in Milford.