No Worries

BY BRIANNA STEPHENS

A home is usually a place of comfort, but Fern Coffey feared hers. With faulty electricity, the home’s lighting was unreliable, and the only way the 73-year-old could see at night was with a flashlight and candles. She spent most of her time in the living room because the floors were weak and already collapsing in other rooms. Her water heater fell through the floor, leaving her without hot water for two years. With only one working outlet, she relied on kerosene heaters and a wood stove for warmth. With no underpinning on the trailer, her water pipes froze during the winter. When the wind blew during a storm, the deteriorating roof rattled and the trailer shook.

But then one day, there was a knock at her door.

“I didn’t know how much longer I was going to last in my trailer. I was in pretty bad shape until Clarence came and rescued me,” Coffey said. “When he came to my door, I was in shock.”

Clarence Bowles, a Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) Home Repair program crew leader, led efforts to give Coffey a safe, warm, and dry home. After evaluating the trailer and the extensive repairs that were needed, the trailer was deemed beyond repair, and CAP made plans to build a new home in its place. Construction started in February 2024 during CAP’s annual WorkFest, an alternative spring break trip for college students, and was completed in early June. Volunteers from across the country worked alongside CAP employees to build the nearly 500-square-foot home and customize it as much as possible for Coffey, who is 4 feet 4 inches tall.

“While we worked, we brought in Fern and measured everything against her to ensure it was easily accessible and just right for her,” Bowles said. Special features of the home included steps with a lower rise off the front and back porch, and a lower installation height for light switches, the showerhead, and the bathroom vanity.

Through a partnership with Jackson Area Technology Center in Jackson County, carpentry students build cabinets for CAP’s Home Repair program projects. For this project, the students built custom cabinets for Coffey’s kitchen, and CAP installed new appliances. As Coffey watched her new home come to life, she looked forward to cooking in her kitchen, as previously, she did not have a working cooking stove in her trailer and relied on meals that could be cooked in a microwave or heated on her wood stove.

“We are grateful for this new partnership we have and for the hard work of each student,” Bowles said. “They are making an impact on the community they live in and are transforming the lives of people like Fern.”

When work was complete and it was time to give Coffey the keys to her new home, CAP employees and volunteers were there to celebrate the occasion. CAP provided her with a variety of small household items, like a fan and cooking utensils, as housewarming gifts. Bowles also said a prayer over the home, just as he does with each project he completes.

“I’m excited to have hot water and a floor that won’t fall through. I don’t have to fool with another stick of wood. No more wood, no more candles,” Coffey said. “The first thing I did when I moved in was just sit there for a minute and take it in. I sure am grateful for the work that was done on this home.”

In addition to Home Repair, Coffey is a participant in CAP’s Garden and Seeds initiative, which provides individuals with seeds or vouchers to purchase produce plants for home gardens. She also participates in CAP’s Christmas distributions, which provide Christmas gifts and a ham for families and seniors, and she receives a monthly commodity food box.