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Charleston’s Operation Home helps homes stay safe and secure

Written By: Team CMC

With critical home repair, heating and cooling units, and handicap ramps, Operation individuals and families can continue to stay in the place they call home.

A person's home should be a safe and secure place of refuge. Instead, for one man in Charleston, his home became a prison.

After the existing ramp became too dangerous to use, a wheelchair-bound man could not get out of his house. A food pantry worker that delivered food to him notified the nonprofit organization, Operation Home, which promptly put together a team of volunteers to build a new wheelchair ramp. Now he goes to the food pantry himself and delivers food to his neighbors.

"These individuals are so resilient, but they can't afford to abandon their properties or find any housing that is more affordable," said Addison Byrd, Operation Home's Director of Philanthropy. "The cost of a new roof or wheelchair ramp is far out of reach. We provide it at no cost."

Serving Charleston and surrounding counties, Operation Home helps low-income people remain in their homes by increasing safety and accessibility. The organization serves homeowners with an average monthly income of $1,283 and focuses on households with children, seniors and people with disabilities.

The organization provides critical help including roof repair and floor repair. For those with accessibility issues, the team at Operation Home make bathroom modifications such as low-curb showers, wheelchair accessible toilets and grab rails. They provide window air conditioning units and provide space heaters for people with no other means of heating and cooling their homes. Operation Home volunteers build wheelchair ramps, handrails and exterior steps.

Started by one family 25 years ago who noticed the need for critical home repair, the organization has grown to serve more than 5,000 people. Operation home served 1,004 families in 2022.

It's a big task made easier with help from a thriving community of volunteers. From businesses to individuals, people in the area are happy to give their time and donations to the cause.

"Our volunteers connect with the families and see for themselves how they can change a life in four hours by building a wheelchair ramp," said Byrd. "Families have a safe place to live, communities are strengthened, and people have stability for years to come."

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About Cingo: The name Cingo means to surround and secure, conveying the company's commitment to home protection. The company has been protecting families in the Southeast since 1974. It provides home protection services throughout Georgia and South Carolina, including Atlanta, Augusta, Charleston, Douglas, Dublin, Milledgeville, Savannah, Vidalia, Waycross and all points in between. Cingo was named a Best Place to Work in Georgia by Georgia Trend Magazine and listed as a National Best & Brightest Company to Work For. Learn more at www.cingohome.com.