Almost 30 years after opening its doors, the Penny House in Patrick Springs is getting a facelift, thanks to volunteers working to give the home a fresh coat of paint and make other needed repairs.
“We’ve been trying to do this for over a year. It has brightened this place up tremendously and given it a nice new facelift,” Lord’s Acre Committee President Jane Cardwell said.
The Penny House was established in 1996 by the Lord’s Acre Committee, a group of more than a dozen churches, to provide temporary housing for people who lose their homes and belongings to natural disasters such as fires and floods.
Since its opening, more than 100 families have stayed at the Penny House.
People can stay “until their insurance kicks in, they find somewhere they can go, or they can get back into their home. Most of the time it’s anywhere from four to seven people in this house,” Cardwell said.
Because the Penny House is used so often, Cardwell said a second house is needed.
“It’s been people in it ever since it started. Actually, it would be nice if we had a second Penny House because there were a lot of times we could actually use a second Penny House, but everybody wants a lot of money for their home. Hopefully in the future with more churches joining” we might be able to purchase another one, she said.
Larry and Margaret Vernon are in charge of the Penny House, checking residents in and making sure they have everything they need. Cardwell said Jimmy Willard, founder of Disaster Relief Food Ministry Inc., also helps supply food boxes to residents.
Caption:
Volunteers worked to spruce up the Penny House, which has provided temporary housing for people who have lost their homes in natural disasters for nearly 30 years.
