Indianapolis nonprofit offers free home repairs to low-income seniors, people with disabilities
Abriana Herron
January 27, 2025
After living in her Martindale-Brightwood house for nearly 60 years, Peggy Bills said her home needed a lot of repairs.
“It was in bad shape,” she said. “It really was. If you’ve been in a house 59 years and never had nothing done, you can imagine what it was like.”
Talking to a neighbor one day, Bills, 77, learned about Home Repairs for Good – formerly known as NeighborLink Indianapolis – a nonprofit that helps seniors make home repairs. She decided to give them a call after her husband died.
“I didn’t want to move,” she said. “I want to stay here. This is my home. This is where I’m used to being, right here. God sent me those guys.”
The nonprofit has since fixed the roof, replaced the siding and repaired the gutters on her home, all for free. The organization’s goal is to maintain current housing stock by fixing the homes of low-income seniors and people with disabilities.
Lisa Cole, director of community and partner engagement with Home Repairs, said the nonprofit also aims to combat Indiana’s growing affordable housing crisis through the upkeep and repair of current housing stock.
“Repairs are one of the most affordable housing solutions, and yet, sort of the de facto policy for addressing affordable housing is to build more new affordable housing,” she said.
Cole said the organization addresses various repair needs, including accessibility modifications, plumbing issues and major yard cleanups.
Home Repairs for Good also has a training program, BY Plus, that teaches people construction skills.
Michelle Annee is the BY Plus program manager. She said the program is “a double win” for the community.
“We get to kind of help two separate segments of the population at the same time,” she said. “We get to help teach these people the skills that they need to actually get a job in the construction industry. Then the mission for Home Repairs for Good to help keep seniors and people on disability that are low income in their home.”
BY-Plus trainee Lex Peterson worked to fix Bills’ home one brisk December afternoon. He finds the program fulfilling and values its long-term impact on the community.
“I’m kind of tearing up just thinking about it,” Peterson said. “This is permanent. That’s going to be up there until probably 10, 15, years [before] it starts to fall off.”
Bills said she is grateful for the assistance.
“I’m just happy,” she said. “I really am. You couldn’t ask for a better group.”
Bills hopes to get a cracked window replaced and electrical repairs done in the future.
In 2024, the organization completed over 700 repairs, serving over 400 homeowners.