Angela Zhu- HUBS Intern (Housing Upgrades to Benefit Seniors)

I’ve visited many homes during my summer internship at St. Ambrose, but this one was my favorite. The wall on my right was covered in landscape paintings, and the other side was a mosaic of bright red and blue. Objects from Madonna icons to wooden African sculptures to a large print in the style of Persian illuminated manuscripts decorated the shelves. The owner of the house, a thin woman wearing leggings with Charlie Chaplin prints, explained that she had been a stay-at-home mom for most of her life. In her spare time, she painted and made mosaics, which was why most of the walls were covered in glass and tile. As a hobbyist artist myself, I couldn’t stop looking around and marveling at the wonders in every corner. Later I told her that I dabbled in art and I thought her home was beautiful. She beamed, saying, “An artist can do anything with their home.”

As an Intern with the HUBS Program at St. Ambrose, I attend home visits with my supervisor; write reports to Baltimore City government about the demographics of our clients; research clients’ deeds online; record data in Microsoft Excel referencing the kinds of home repairs that our clients requested – all in a day’s work! I have also tried to improve the way we collect feedback from clients. While Civic Works created a report detailing the many positive impacts of HUBS, the St. Ambrose site did not have its own form of program evaluation. I created a 5-question survey, to be administered by phone or mail, to determine seniors’ satisfaction with their repairs and to what degree it helped them stay in their homes. While I don’t always see the end results of my work, I keep them in mind. All of my tasks help my supervisor process our clients’ applications more quickly and thus, deliver the home repairs that they need- whether it’s a stair lift, a new furnace, or patches on a leaky roof.

Before my internship, I didn’t think much about the relationship between older adults and healthy living, but now I’ve realized what an important issue it is. Seniors face a variety of challenges as they age. For example, the woman I visited who made mosaics has a back stairway that’s incredibly unstable; she can’t even walk on it. This is one of the ways St. Ambrose and the HUBS Program can offer crucial support to ensure older adults safety and well-being. It is especially important in the City of Baltimore where low-income residents have long been denied resources. I am proud that I was able to support St. Ambrose this summer in its mission!

Housing Upgrades to Benefit Seniors (HUBS)- A St. Ambrose Story

As a third generation Baltimore community leader and advocate, Ms. B. is no stranger to the challenges our community faces, especially seniors. Ms. B. has previously served on the 45th Legislative District of Maryland, has been voted “Mother of the Year” twice in Baltimore City (along with countless other awards) and has a street named after her in honor of her service to the community.

When Ms. B.’s health began to decline, she reached out to community resources to see what help would be available to her in making minor repairs and modifications to her home. That’s when she found the HUBS Program at St. Ambrose.

As part of the HUBS services we deliver, St. Ambrose helped Ms. B receive home modifications through Civic Works Cities for All Ages Program. Ms. B. has had her front walkway fixed, exterior rail at rear entrance installed,motion light at top of basement stairs installed, grab bar in bathroom installed in addition to other minor modifications and repairs.

Ms. B. recalled, “I became familiar with HUBS due to my health challenges that caused me to be a recipient of the program. The HUBS Program was there when I needed it. I am grateful for everyday I see.”

In this way, the HUBS Program at St. Ambrose assists seniors in remaining safe and independent in their own homes for as long as possible.

St. Ambrose is now a HUBS site! (Housing Upgrades to Benefit Seniors)

Housing Upgrades Benefiting Seniors (HUBS) is a program that assists older adults (over 65) in Baltimore city. This program allows seniors to continue to live in their homes and neighborhoods as they age by helping them with home repairs and modifications. Older Adults like Ms. G.

Ms. G. has been a lifelong member of the Baltimore community. Born and raised in the city, Ms. G. knew she wanted to devote her life to serving others. She started working at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore in 1965 registering patients at their time of need and loved every minute of it. Ms. G. moved into her home in 1986 with her husband, son and daughter. She came to know St. Ambrose through the pastor at her church, Garden of Prayer Christian Church. The pastor went above and beyond to connect his parishioners with St. Ambrose and the services that are available. Additionally, the church was an Adopt-A-Family participant and contributed yearly to this fund serving families who just need a little extra help.

Ms. G. was forced to retire after 33 years of service to St. Agnes Hospital due to a debilitating car accident resulting in four major surgeries over a 12-month period. The accident left her and her husband permanently and significantly disabled. Due to several years of medical issues following the death of her husband, Ms. G., like many clients, was left tackling the challenges of senior homeownership alone.

She came to St. Ambrose when faced with a homeownership crisis. Understandably, the routine maintenance of the home fell through the cracks which left her with a severe roof leak. Since she had no homeowners insurance, she was financially unable to make the repairs to her roof.

Over time, the leak became a gaping hole in the ceiling that had debris, snow and rain water rushing into her upstairs bedroom. She has maintained the leak with over 20 receptacles catching the rain water/snow/debris but it has become too much to handle. Although she has a son nearby and a friend to check on her, Ms. G. knew this was too big a problem for them to handle on their own. Ms. G. turned to St. Ambrose and the HUBS Program for help. Gail MacInnes, HUBS Case Manager, met with Ms. G. to devise a plan of action to make the repairs to her roof that she desperately needed. With the assistance of grant funding, St. Ambrose was able to facilitate the repairs which will allow her to utilize the space in her home while giving her the safety and security that she needs at this time in her life.

“I have lived in this home forever. I have put roots here. This home is what I have created and I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Thank you, St. Ambrose for giving me the ability to stay in my home. St. Ambrose has truly been a blessing in my life. I never knew how much fixing a roof could cost and I couldn’t have afforded it on my own, especially as a widow. I know there are many other seniors who could benefit from the services provided by the HUBS Program and St. Ambrose. They need to know they are not alone.”

In this way, the HUBS program assists seniors in remaining safe and independent in their own homes for as long as possible.