September 30, 2020
“This house means everything to us. It’s our little castle,” says 73-year-old Teresa Estrada.
She and her husband, Frank, moved into the East Austin house in 1994 so they could care for Ms. Estrada’s elderly parents who lived across the street. After her folks passed away, the Estradas helped raise their grandchildren in the home.
Mr. Estrada, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1960-64, suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and is disabled. But navigating his house is now easier thanks to recent improvements done by the Meals on Wheels Central Texas Home Repair program and the Home Depot Foundation. In addition to new siding and energy efficient windows, the Estrada’s house now not only boasts a new ramp leading to the front door, but also a new sidewalk, and ADA-compliant exterior doors.
“We are just so thankful and grateful because not everyone gets this opportunity. And financially, we would not have been able to have taken care of [the repairs and renovations],” Ms. Estrada says. “I’ve always wanted a little house with a little white picket fence. Well, we may not have the white picket fence, but [the house is] definitely nice and pretty.”