Shirley Johnson, a 76-year-old widow, became a home repair customer in January 2023. Shirley came to Frontier in need of home repair assistance for an inoperable heating and cooling unit, window replacements, storm door replacement, and porch step repair for accessibility.

Frontier applied for two grants: The Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati-Carol M. Peterson Housing Fund (FHLB-CMPHF) and Kentucky Housing Corporation-Affordable Housing Trust Fund (KHC-AHTF). Within five months of applying, Shirley received a $6,600 grant for the replacement of her 18-year-old HVAC unit; and a second grant for $14,412 toward the replacement of Shirley’s front porch, including steps, posts, and wraparound handrail for better accessibility, porch lights, smoke detectors, storm door, and basement windows.

Shirley hadn’t had a functioning HVAC unit for a long time, and she was paying over $500 per month for electricity in the summer. In the winter, her electric bill was approximately $800 per month. With the help of this grant, Shirley said her electric bill went from $585 (early in the summer) to $110 in August. She was so shocked that she called the electric company to confirm that the bill was accurate. She said, “I’ve NEVER had an electric bill that was a hundred dollars before.” With a $740 per month mortgage, Shirley had been at the point of questioning what bills to pay.

Shirley said, “Thanks so much Frontier Housing for putting in a new furnace and heat. My house is so warm and comfortable. I am so grateful for all you do for older senior citizens who are on fixed income. It is so hard to fix things after paying your monthly bills and buying food. Thank you all for everything and God bless you and (the funders) for your help.”