Habitat’s Home Repair Program Helps Keep Homes Safe & Accessible

Kristina Welburn, Executive Director of Habitat Lower Keys, stands with Rick Smith and Tricia Consiglio on the new ramp.

Rick Smith watches Charles Perry, Project Administrator with Gary the Carpenter, build the ramp.

Rick Smith and his girlfriend, Tricia Consiglio, moved to Key West in 2008 after visiting and falling in love with the island, a story common to many Key West residents. Since he was able to continue running his small maple candy e-commerce business remotely, the move was fairly easy to pull off. Mr. Smith found additional work helping a few local businesses with their websites and enjoyed getting involved in the Key West community, serving as the Chairperson for the Key West Community Garden for several years.

Since Mr. Smith uses a wheelchair due to a spinal cord injury and Ms. Consiglio uses a mobility scooter, they require a ramp to enter and exit his ground floor condo. When the plywood ramp that he had constructed reached the end of its usefulness, Mr. Smith approached several local contractors for bids on constructing a new ramp, but when he saw the price tag he knew the project was out of his range. Then he heard something about a home repair program sponsored by the City of Key West through Habitat for Humanity. He contacted Habitat and they were able to coordinate the construction of a new ramp with Gary the Carpenter that will provide a safe and convenient way for Mr. Smith and Ms. Consiglio to enter and exit the condo. Mr. Smith is grateful to have found the program and would like to thank Rowan Architect, Gary the Carpenter, City Code Compliance for their patience in this process, and of course Habitat.

Through their Home Repair Program, Habitat for Humanity of Key West and Lower Florida Keys has been working together with the City of Key West to partner with low-income residents whose homes require safety and structural repairs. The goal of the program is to help homeowners afford much-needed home repairs focusing on health, safety and accessibility. In many cases, residents are living on fixed incomes and cannot afford to repair their homes on their own. Many are in danger of being displaced or living in hazardous conditions if repairs do not take place.

In addition to providing a ramp for Mr. Smith, Habitat has provided a major roof repair for a senior citizen and has several projects in the pipeline.

Habitat for Humanity of Key West and the Lower Florida Keys believes that every family should have the opportunity to affordably maintain and preserve their home. Their Home Repair Program is an extension of Habitat’s mission to build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter and of their holistic approach to improving communities. If you are unable to afford a necessary repair to your home, reach out to Habitat for a program application by emailing familyservices@habitatlowerkeys.org or calling 305-294-9006 ext. 1.