Salt Lake City is launching a new program to help low-income seniors and people with disabilities tackle home repairs.
Linda Fagen has already benefitted from the program. The 68-year-old says that earlier this year she needed help fixing her house.
“I needed cleaning of the gutters and repair of the gutters to make them function properly,” she says.
Fagen was worried about ice buildup during the winter. She lives alone and didn’t feel comfortable asking a neighbor for that sort of favor.
“That’s a pretty professional job,” she says. “You have to go up on a ladder.”
Fagen had heard about the new Handyman program launched by Salt Lake City in October and filled out an application. She says within a couple weeks her gutters had been taken care of, free of charge.
“Our goal is just to help people be able to take care of these things before they become big things,” says Marion Barnhill, Salt Lake City’s housing programs manager.
Barnhill says the city received a $40,000 federal grant for the project. That money will help 80-100 elderly and disabled Salt Lake City residents get basic home repairs. The city can help fix leaks, install smoke detectors, lights, locks, doorknobs, and more.
“Several of the requests have been for repairing gutters and cleaning them,” Barnhill says. “We’ve had requests for drain repairs.”
Applications are available at senior centers around the Salt Lake City area or online.
