From a House of Pain to a House of Payne
May 8, 2008
Three days before Christmas of 2004, Mrs. Jean Payne, 75, of Anacostia, was in a terrible fire. The fire not only left her in the hospital, but it damaged her home of forty years severely and left her homeless. With the money she was rewarded by her insurance company she hired a contractor to rebuild the home. Unfortunately, as so often happens, the contractor walked out on the job with the money, leaving Mrs. Payne's home uninhabitable and Mrs. Payne and her family with little hope that the work would ever be finished.
Mrs. Payne's story came to Yachad through the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA). With the assistance of the NFHA grant money, Yachad was able to enlist Jay Eichberg and Eichberg Construction to do major repairs on the home's electric, plumbing, carpentry, masonry, drywall, and windows for cost and below.
After four years of agony over legal battles, frustration with contractors and the stress of homelessness, Yachad was able to help Mrs. Payne move back in to her home almost immediately.
Today, everyone involved in fixing Mrs. Payne's home came together to celebrate her homecoming with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Read more about the day and see pictures below. Donate now to the cause.
If you have furniture or home supplies that are in good condition, please contact Yachad. Mrs. Payne lost everything in the fire and needs to start from scratch. Please make sure you include a digital picture of the items you have.
The Team: (from left) Mrs. Payne's daughter, Audrey Lyon (Yachad E.D.), Crystal Clark (Mrs. Payne's daughter), Kendra Rubinfeld (Yachad Program Coordinator), Sherrill Frost Brown (NFHA), Jean Payne, Mark (Eichberg Construction).
The kitchen before-appliances unconnected & no window
The kitchen after-appliances and water connected & window installed
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