Repairs keep needy seniors in their homes

View Slideshow Chris Russell | Dispatch The Franklin County Office on Agings minor-home-repair program did about $4,000 worth of work to Stanford Carters East Side home, including installing these handrails. View Larger Local More Local Stories US & World More US & World Stories By Encarnacion Pyle The Columbus Dispatch Monday February 17, 2014 4:53 AM

When Stanford Carters furnace broke one brisk day in October, he didnt know where he was going to come up with the cash to fix it.

Carter, 64, of the East Side, spends more than three-quarters of his retirement benefits and pay from a part-time job as a barber on his monthly house payment and utilities.

That leaves the Vietnam War veteran with barely enough to cover food, gasoline and other necessities. The last thing Carter needed to worry about was a pricey repair to his modest 63-year-old house that has more than started showing its age.

Carter might still be without heat if a local agency hadnt directed him to the Franklin County Office on Agings minor-home-repair program. The group helped nearly 1,400 senior citizens last year, including 565 older than 75, so they could stay in their homes.

It has taken a lot off my mind, and I dont have to worry anymore, he said. Its given me peace of mind.

Providing minor home repairs is one of the easiest ways to keep older people living independently, experts say. However, demand for such programs often surpasses what groups are able to provide, and money remains limited.

The U.S. has at least 13 million low-income households of people age 50 or older living in unaffordable or inadequate housing, the AARP Foundation says.

For vulnerable older Americans, housing upkeep is a challenge to maintain, particularly in these tough economic times, the foundations president, Jo Ann Jenkins, said.

The foundation awarded $780,000 to four groups last year to repair and add safety features to 1,179 homes across the country, including some in Ohio, with the hope of showing other groups that the work can pay big dividends.

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Repairs keep needy seniors in their homes