Ms. S
Pigtown, Baltimore City
2023
Ms. S, aged 87, was born and raised in rural Virginia. She moved to Baltimore City after a trip to visit friends where she found a job and decided to stay. Soon after moving, she met her husband Mr. S and began renting the home they would soon purchase. Their landlord was retiring and decided to sell the home to Mr. S and Ms. S. In total, Ms. S has lived in her Pigtown home for over 54 years.
Southwest Baltimore and the Pigtown neighborhood have changed significantly in the time she has lived there. Mr. S and Ms. S had 6 children. 5 boys and 1 girl. Ms. S says about the neighborhood and seeing it change: “It started out peaceful and quiet. Then, there was a lot of drug activity near me for many years. Sometimes it was not safe to leave my home.”
Now, things have improved on the block and surrounding area. Ms. S now lives alone in the home after Mr. S passed away several years ago. Her children live in the surrounding area and visit her often to provide care and to take her to doctors appointments.
In 2020, one of Ms. S’s sons passed away in a car accident, bringing tremendous grief to Ms. S and her family. After receiving this heartbreaking news, Ms. S was climbing the stairs in her home and she fell backwards, severely injuring her hip. This accident resulted in 1 year of continuous hospital stay and 3 different surgeries. After much persistence and physical therapy, she regained the ability to walk, but still lives with limited mobility.
Health and Safety Repairs Addressed:
Before working with RTB, a vehicle drove into her home and damaged the exterior and the backyard of Ms. S home. This disaster, combined with an inadequate heating and cooling system, made Ms. S seek help for these extensive repairs. Ms. S found Rebuilding Together Baltimore and was able to get help. RTB was able to:
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Install safety and accessibility modifications in the bathroom and stairs, including grab bars and handrails - Allowing her to safely access the second-floor of her home again.
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Replace burned out outlets and non-functional overhead lighting throughout the home - making it brighter, safer, and more accessible.
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Lay new flooring in the kitchen and bathroom areas, which are either missing or damaged
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Replace dilapidated fence panels at the rear of the home and construct a cover for the rear basement entrance to prevent water from entering the basement.
Professional contractors will be able to provide Ms. S with a brand new heating and air conditioning system, insulate exterior walls where needed, and complete further carpentry repair in the kitchen.
