There are people in our community who are called to provide service and assistance to those who need it. These caregivers dedicate their lives to extending helping hands to the people who have fallen on bad times and need it most.
But who helps the caregivers when they need it most?
LaToya Scott is a case manager at Family Promise of Greater Des Moines (FPGD), a nonprofit that assists homeless families by providing temporary shelter and case management services, including health care assessments, child care assistance, transportation, referrals for legal assistance and help securing employment. Scott has worked for FPGD for 11 years and has four children.
“I help families find housing and employment and help them overcome some of the hurdles and barriers preventing them from becoming self-sufficient,” said Scott. She, along with four other staff members, provide the essential services that families down on their luck so desperately need.
It’s safe to say that Scott is a caregiver. Little did she expect that she would soon need care of her own. In January 2019, she bought a home on the east side of Des Moines that she soon discovered had a myriad of problems.
“I discovered the issues about four months into owning the home,” she explained. The furnace stopped working, then the sump pump when the basement flooded and the deck needed repairs. The final straw came when she discovered there was water leaking into the fuse box which was a major fire hazard.
“It was pretty frustrating with just one thing after another. It was a dramatic awakening to becoming a homeowner,” said Scott. She called out an electrician who informed her that the fuse box was likely installed wrong, prior to her purchasing the home.
“The house came with a warranty but it did not cover the electrical panel because the water was getting in only when it rained, which the warranty company considered an act of God,” explained Scott. “My lights started flashing on their own and there was a burning smell.”
The water damage created a fire hazard that caused stress and tension every time the lights were turned on. “Once my daughter was in the play area in the basement and plugged in a fan. It started sparking and the outlet had brown residue around it. I knew it was something that needed to be fixed right away,” recalled Scott.
Unfortunately, the cost of fixing the electrical system was prohibitively high. Which is where our Impact team comes in. Scott was nominated to be the recipient of our 2020 Impact funds. Scott’s commitment to caring for at-risk families and children in the Des Moines area resonated with us and we knew we could help with the electrical issues in her home.
The C21® Impact Board Committee donated $9,000 to complete repairs which included installing a new meter, a new AMP panel, running new circuits throughout the house and bringing the home up to code.
“It’s been hard with the kids not being in school,” said Scott. “I’m excited that it’s completed because before the kids would have needed to use a lot of adapters just to use the outlets and now we don’t.
“I want to say thank you- I’m very appreciative. I work in a field where I’m always of service to people and I’ve never had anyone help me before. Now I know what it feels like to receive help from an organization that’s genuine and really wants to help.”
Here at Century 21 Signature Real Estate, we’ve made it our purpose to do more than just sell real estate. Our Impact program is an opportunity for C21SRE agents and staff to pool our resources and directly impact and improve the lives of people and families in our communities. The Impact fund is made up of donations from our agents and staff with a 10% match from the C21SRE company. The C21® Impact Board Committee is made up of the broker/owners, five agents, one staff member, and a treasurer. Board members vote on how to distribute funds to local people and families in need and all funds go directly to the chosen recipients.
