When Norma and her mom, Maria, got the chance to pick colors for their house, they knew almost immediately the color they would choose. The answer was in the little tree standing in front of their house.
This house, shared by three generations of women—Maria, Norma, and Norma’s daughter—had fallen into disrepair over the years following the death of Maria’s husband who had done different projects to maintain the integrity of the house but was never able to finish.
“We did some [repairs] maybe 15 years ago. My dad’s been gone going on 11 years, so four years prior before he left,” says Norma, reflecting on the work that her father had done on the house. “Repairs on the inside, but it didn’t get finished. And in time it just kept getting tore up more.
Many older adults struggle with the growing cost of maintaining their homes. Rising expenses, such as property taxes, insurance, and basic upkeep, make it difficult for older adults living on low, fixed incomes to age safely in place or preserve their homes for future generations. If homeowners have the opportunity to save enough funds to make home repairs, the cost of contractor fees and supplies may pose yet another financial barrier to having a safe and healthy home.
Trying to keep up with the home, Norma spoke with her mom about affording repairs. “I asked her if she had enough to [set aside] a little bit, we could buy a little piece here and a little piece there to patch up what we could inside,” says Norma. But for Maria and her family, living on a single fixed income, while each managing unique disabilities, made it impossible to make repairs. The cost burden of homeownership quickly outpaced the Davilas’ household income.
First hearing about Merced’s Owner-Occupied Program (OORP) from friends at the Kirby Senior Community Center, Maria set out to get more information about the program in hopes of qualifying.
In November 2024, with funding from a Bexar County Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), OORP completed home repairs on the Davila home. Repairs consisted of a complete roof replacement, including redecking the entire roof and adding ridge vents for proper ventilation, and a new HVAC system to replace an old, broken unit.
In May 2025, after completing all required homes for the Bexar County grant, OORP had the opportunity to assist another homeowner whom they had previously helped, who might need additional assistance. The team chose to help the Davilas again. With the remaining funds from the original Bexar County CDBG funds, OORP replaced stick framing, insulation, sheathing, house wrap, siding, added a new French double door with ADA-accessible handles, exterior electrical fixtures, and a brand-new paint job.
“Because of the amount of work that the Davila’s home needed and the amount of work that we weren’t able to provide her with the first time, the second time around we ended up doing her siding all the way around her house because it was completely deteriorated and had developed large holes, allowing insect and rodents to come through her home,” says Anthony, Merced’s Housing Rehabilitation Manager who oversaw the repairs to Maria’s home.
“It’s not a good feeling when you got people over. It’s an embarrassment,” says Norma, reflecting on how it was to live in her house before the repairs.
“We’re not just helping homeowners physically with their home,” says Anthony. “We’re helping families mentally as well as giving them peace of mind. It is tough when you live on a fixed income, and you know that things are going south and you can’t do anything about it.”
For the Davilas, the transformation has been life changing. “It’s been for the best,” she said. “It has done good for us. We are comfortable pulling up in my driveway and looking at the house—how pretty it looks now, how different you know. It did make something different in my life and my mom’s. My daughter’s too.”
At the end of the project, when deciding on the finishing touches to the home, Norma happily shares how she chose. “I have a tree in the front—if you look at my little palito—that’s the reason I chose the [trimming] that color. He’s a different color than most [crepe myrtles]. The leaves are a deep burgundy red,” Norma says. “I love my tree. The house bounces off him and he bounces off the house.”