When the water started coming through the ceiling, Army veteran Daveion Bethel started to panic, wondering how he could pay for the repair. He and his wife, Diana, had sunk their savings into the home that they bought in January.
“We moved down from Pennsylvania to be closer to my brother, who had a stroke, and the water damage in the house did not show up in the house inspection. We had just poured all of our money into the house when the water started pouring in,” said Bethel.
A few months after buying their home, the Bethels’ ceiling buckled and water rushed in after a storm. The contractors who came to look at the damage said some of it happened before recent rains.
As the contractors worked noisily above on Wednesday, Bethel showed where the ceiling had caved in over the dining room and where numerous cracks left water stains in both the den and living room.
“This is patchwork from where the previous owner had tried to cover up the water damage. It didn’t look bad when we walked through the house, but it ended up being horrible,” said Bethel.
A neighbor told him about the Critical Home Repair and Veterans Build Repair program through Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity. Bethel, who was an infantry soldier at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1988, decided to apply.
He and his wife were approved for the critical home-repair program, which assists low-income homeowners with home repairs, according to Habitat for Humanity Chief Operations Officer Rick Calloway.
“It takes some time to get all of the organizations together, but this program helps veterans, elderly and disabled populations get needed home repairs. Anyone in need can apply for the program,” said Calloway.
Calloway said Habitat partnered with the city’s Economic and Community Development branch to help repair the interior ceiling work while PW Roofing, an Owens Corning Platinum roofing contractor, handled the outside roof repair.
PW Roofing has been in business in Fayetteville since 2017 and is owned by Robb and Stephanie Holdaway.
“This is our fifth project through the Owens Corning roof deployment program. It’s an easy way of giving back, partnering with a charity near to our hearts. I’m a veteran, and my wife is active-duty,” said Robb Holdaway.
He said his employees are mostly veterans, including claims manager Jon Theodore, who served 15 years in the Army.
“Owens Corning supplies the materials, and we volunteer the labor. So there is no cost to veterans,” said Holdaway.
For Bethel, the volunteer work and funding mean the world to his family.
“It’s such a blessing. This helps so much. I had no idea how I was going to get this done,” said Bethel.
Anyone interested in the program or others at Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity should visit www.fayettevillenchabitat.org.
The Owens Corning Roof Deployment project is a national initiative using preferred contractors to show gratitude and honor to veterans who have served the nation. Since the program began in 2016, more than 425 military families have received new roofs. For more information, visit www.owenscorning.com.
