House repairs needed by families to feel more at home, ease medical struggles

Nicole Villalpando, Austin American-Statesman
·4 min read

Sandra Stephenson, wants her home to finally be one that is just for her. For years, she ran a day care out of her home. The walls were painted in vibrant colors. Some had murals.

The backyard was a wonderland of playscapes for the kids and a covered porch for rainy days.

No one believed she actually lived there.

Now Stephenson wants her home to be her own oasis.

She’s tried to do things on her own. She followed a video on YouTube about how to cut out a passageway through the drywall that connected her living room and dining room. Then she cut and trimmed the cutout.

Chairs that others were giving away made their way to her living room. She found a table on Wayfair that glows in colorful under-lights with the flip of a switch.

“I want it to look like a hotel lobby,” she said of her living room.

Sandra Stephenson relaxes on the back porch of her East Austin home. The backyard needs to be redone, as does a lot of the interior of the home.
Sandra Stephenson relaxes on the back porch of her East Austin home. The backyard needs to be redone, as does a lot of the interior of the home.

Stephenson, 66, is part of the Statesman Season for Caring program, which highlights the stories of 11 families nominated by local nonprofit organizations. Stephenson was nominated by Interfaith Action of Central Texas, which will use donations to help her and hundreds of other families it serves.

Stephenson is transforming her house while losing her vision because of complications from diabetes and while being connected nine hours a night to a dialysis machine because of kidney disease.

She’s setting up her home to be more usable if she loses her vision completely.

“I don’t want to be dependent on anybody,” she said.

Stephenson also is the daytime caregiver for a man with autism, whom she’s taken care of for 19 years.

She’d love to have the home repainted inside and outside; she needs electrical repairs, gutters, outdoor lighting and new windows. In the kitchen, she needs flooring; new countertops, backsplash, cabinets and faucet; the kitchen paneling removed; and a new dishwasher, stove, refrigerator and freezer.

The list is long, but Stephenson loves to cook. She's known for making her banana pudding from scratch, buttermilk chess pie and pound cake. She loves making beef stew, pinto beans, oxtails and cornbread. Often her dishes end up at a church event or for a gathering to help someone else.

Sandra Stephenson uses a dialysis machine to treat her kidney failure in her home. A lot of leftovers from when she ran a day care in her home remain inside the house.
Sandra Stephenson uses a dialysis machine to treat her kidney failure in her home. A lot of leftovers from when she ran a day care in her home remain inside the house.

Stephenson would love for her backyard to become an oasis with a new screened-in deck, raised garden beds, new plants, a pond, a new fence, a new shed, and tree and mosquito removal. “This is my sanctuary,” she said of the backyard.

Maybe she’ll get a chicken coop and raise a few chickens. She needs landscaping service. “I can’t even see my weeds,” she said.

To find out more about Stephenson or give an item on her wish list, contact Interfaith Action of Central Texas, 512-386-9145, interfaithtexas.org.

Other Season for Caring families also have home repair needs:

  • Araceli Ramirez, 49, has stage 4 breast cancer and is cared for by her 22-year-old son, Jesus. Their home needs major repairs, including flooring throughout, kitchen counters and shelves, a pantry, a new backsplash, a new HVAC system, new ceiling fans, new showerheads, a tub instead of a shower, a new bathroom vanity, a new toilet, new extraction vents, laundry room shelves and storage, and new exterior doors. They also need a washer and dryer, refrigerator, microwave and range hood.

Outside, she needs landscaping, including grass and a garden, tree trimming and sprinklers. She would like a new deck with shade covering and motion sensor lights.

She needs a roof inspection and repairs or a new roof. The house has a crack in the side wall that needs to be repaired. She also needs the house and shed painted and house numbers put on the house. She needs a wheelchair ramp in anticipation of her future needs. (Breast Cancer Resource Center, 512-524-2560, bcrc.org)

  • Michelle Jimenez, 57, takes care of her son Joey, 28, who has brain cancer. He also needs wheelchair ramps and the bathroom made more accessible with grab bars and raised vanity and toilet. The family needs home repairs as well as kitchen counters, new refrigerator brackets and shelves, and new inside doors. Outside they need tree trimming. (Hospice Austin, 512-342-4726, hospiceaustin.org)

  • Shogufa Afshar, 39, who came to the U.S. from Afghanistan with her three children after her husband was killed, needs a handyman who can help repair some things around her apartment. (Interfaith Action of Central Texas, 512-386-9145, interfaithtexas.org)

  • Anatole Lee, 58, who had a traumatic brain injury as well as seeing his employment as a security guard affected by the pandemic, needs help cleaning and organizing his apartment. (Family Eldercare, 512-450-0844, familyeldercare.org)

How to donate to Season for Caring

Find the daily coupon in print on Page 4E or go to statesman.com/seasonforcaring.

Now through Christmas Day, $500,000 in donations will be matched by the Sheth family.

The Driskill hotel's Cookies for Caring cookie tins are on sale at exploretock.com/thedriskillaustin.

To donate:Use the form below or click here: https://statesmansfc.kimbia.com/statesmanseasonforcaring

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Season for Caring families need house repairs to feel more at home