Volunteers from different agencies around the state helped Thursday to spruce up a home in southern Vermont.“What we’re doing here today, is really a neighbors helping neighbors event,” said Sarah Waring, state director for VT and NH USDA Rural Development. “The team is all out. We’re joining together at William and Janet Berner’s house to do a lot of the tasks that get hard for you when you get older. We’re doing garden work; we’re helping to demolish a chicken shed. We’re making this place a little more livable with some time love and kindness.”Janet and Bill Berner have lived in their house in South Newfane for 20 years.“We plan on staying in this house forever if we can,” said Janet Berner. “We don’t want to go anywhere.”That goal was getting increasingly difficult due to the couple’s decreasing mobility because of some health complications. It was difficult for them to get out of the house.“I wasn’t able to do that, because we would go down the stairs,” Berner said. “It would take me so long by the time I got halfway down, I had to take a breather.”With money from the USDA Housing Repair Program, Senior Solutions and the Windham and Windsor Housing Trust they were able to install an elevator lift from the driveway up into the house.“Well, I wasn’t doing well for a few years, now I’m doing better,” Berner said. “I want to go places now, get up and go.”With the lift, she’s able to. Carpenters also widened doorways to make it easier for her walker to get through the house. The outside got some attention Thursday and it won’t go unnoticed.“That means a lot to her,” said Deb Latour, Janet’s daughter. “She loves her gardens, and any time that she can have a little joy out here, it’s just awesome. I really appreciate it.”Officials from the USDA said this type of work is critical to maintaining older rural homes. “Helping people who are already in homes, to make those homes more efficient,” Waring said. “It’s both to allow them to have a high quality of life, but it’s also so that housing stock is improved for the next person.”The Berners said they’re hoping to live until 100 years old and these improvements should last until then.
Volunteers from different agencies around the state helped Thursday to spruce up a home in southern Vermont.
“What we’re doing here today, is really a neighbors helping neighbors event,” said Sarah Waring, state director for VT and NH USDA Rural Development. “The team is all out. We’re joining together at William and Janet Berner’s house to do a lot of the tasks that get hard for you when you get older. We’re doing garden work; we’re helping to demolish a chicken shed. We’re making this place a little more livable with some time love and kindness.”
Janet and Bill Berner have lived in their house in South Newfane for 20 years.
“We plan on staying in this house forever if we can,” said Janet Berner. “We don’t want to go anywhere.”
That goal was getting increasingly difficult due to the couple’s decreasing mobility because of some health complications. It was difficult for them to get out of the house.
“I wasn’t able to do that, because we would go down the stairs,” Berner said. “It would take me so long by the time I got halfway down, I had to take a breather.”
With money from the USDA Housing Repair Program, Senior Solutions and the Windham and Windsor Housing Trust they were able to install an elevator lift from the driveway up into the house.
“Well, I wasn’t doing well for a few years, now I’m doing better,” Berner said. “I want to go places now, get up and go.”
With the lift, she’s able to. Carpenters also widened doorways to make it easier for her walker to get through the house.
The outside got some attention Thursday and it won’t go unnoticed.
“That means a lot to her,” said Deb Latour, Janet’s daughter. “She loves her gardens, and any time that she can have a little joy out here, it’s just awesome. I really appreciate it.”
Officials from the USDA said this type of work is critical to maintaining older rural homes.
“Helping people who are already in homes, to make those homes more efficient,” Waring said. “It’s both to allow them to have a high quality of life, but it’s also so that housing stock is improved for the next person.”
The Berners said they’re hoping to live until 100 years old and these improvements should last until then.