Bob's Story

Robert Cornwell keeps a very pleasant, tidy home full of pictures of his family. With about 20 grandkids and several great-grandkids, there are a lot of reminders around the house of good times and the life he built with his wife, who passed away 4 years ago.

Bob spent the first 30 years of his life in Locke and then moved to Groton. He and his wife owned a duplex while they raised their children. Like many in Groton back then, Bob worked for Smith Corona. When he retired after 45 years of service, the couple moved to a mobile home in Valley View Park; it was just the right size for them.

Bob knew about Better Housing because some of his neighbors in the park had used the Tompkins County Home Repair program to get small items fixed in their homes. There was a lot Bob took care of, but as he got older some things were harder to do. When he saw a flyer about the service, he called us and met Keith Christoffersen, our home repair coordinator.

Keith’s biggest job was to fix some soft spots in the floor of the trailer, in two bedrooms and the bathroom. This was very important to Bob - "it really needed fixing before someone fell through the floor", he reports.

When on visits to seniors, Keith often sees other items that need to be fixed other than what prompted the call. In subsequent visits, he also installed a new storm door, a more energy-efficient window that used to leak a lot of air, and clear storm windows where there had been wood coverings. Bob and his cat, Jasper, especially enjoy the clear view and all the goldfinches and other birds that visit the feeders outside.

Now 73, Bob tells us if not for the program, "a lot of the work wouldn’t have gotten done". With two of his children as neighbors in the park and others right in the area, Bob’s cozy dwelling with Jasper is just the right place for him.

Meeting health and safety needs through preventive maintenance is a big part of what Better Housing’s Home Repair program is all about. We have helped over 1,330 people stay comfortably in their homes with low or no cost repairs, and Robert’s tale is typical of the 2,300 stories of success we have to tell.