'I feel like it was a dream': HomeFront repairs Stamford woman's home for free
Shayla Colon
Oct. 15, 2020 Updated: Oct. 15, 2020 5:14 p.m.
"I feel like it was a dream or something. Is this true or real or not? And I feel great, like a new home," said Amina Jafri, a Stamford resident.
The Stamford-based organization, HomeFront, gathered volunteers on Oct. 3 to complete external repairs on Jafri's home. HomeFront is a community-based, volunteer-driven home repair program that provides free repairs to low-income homeowners with the goal of helping people remain in their homes with an improved quality of life.
contributed by Sean O'Brien from HomeFront
Amina Jafri on left and Ken Wiegand on right
Jafri had been trying to find help repairing the interior and exterior of her home when she picked up a brochure for HomeFront. She needed help repairing a ceiling leak coming through a light fixture in the dining room, a heater that hadn't worked most of last year and clearing her yard, among other repairs.
Jafri has chronic back pain that has left her disabled after a fall and surgery; she is unable to stand for longer than an hour as a result. Her husband suffered a traumatic brain hemorrhage and her mother, who also lives with her, has Alzheimer's. Jafri's two sons are in college.
"I'm physically not able to do things and [my husband], mentally, is not there," said Jafri. "I cannot bend, and if I tell him to do this, he does not understand it, so it's a tough life."
Our Lady Star of the Sea volunteers
Jafri learned about the program when she stumbled on a HomeFront brochure. She did not have access to a computer and was afraid she wouldn't meet the application deadline, but a social worker from a community action agency helped her get it done.
HomeFront Chairman Ken Wiegand was not sure if and when the program would be able to help Jafri because of the pandemic.
"It was pretty clear she was overwhelmed by the issues with the outside of her house," Wiegand said.
Wiegand decided to help Jafri with the exterior of her home, but did not do anything inside for safety reasons. Volunteers were given N-95 masks, gloves, goggles and hand sanitizer, and got right to work.
The team was able to clear the yard of debris, paint the outside of the house and give Jafri's deck a new paint job all in a day's work.
John Rovegno, Ou Lady Star of the Sea volunteer
"The team was awesome, they were totally into it," Wiegand said. "She came out quite often during the day and walked around and thanked people even with her bad back. I've been doing this for 28 years and she's in the top-five of favorite people I've met."
Jafri is grateful for Wiegand and the repairs HomeFront made to her home and said she felt bad that she couldn't throw a party and cook for the volunteers due to the pandemic.
"I used to be ashamed to go outside, people must be thinking this lady's backyard is dirty, her house. I never lived like that, but I couldn't do nothing," Jafri said. "Thank God everything is getting better and I'm grateful to HomeFront's whole team. Whoever is working for HomeFront is great, great, great."