'I'm Moving Forward": Charity Group Provides Tulsa Woman With Free Home Repairs

A charity named Revitalize T-Town is working to give one Tulsa woman a major upgrade to her home, at no cost.

The home has no heat and the plumbing doesn't work but despite that, Ms. Armru Gatewood lives there, and until Wednesday she couldn't afford the repairs.

A team arrived on Monday, to start on the long list of repairs. An old, broken metal window is coming out in the living room right by the Christmas tree, another in the dining room, and two sets of doors in the back. There's rotten wood to be cut out before the replacements go in.

"They are doing a little bit of everything," said Gatewood.

The house has a good roof, but floods because the plumbing leaks, and that damaged the floor furnace that's now covered up.

"I had some buckets in the bathroom for water, but I've been making do," said Gatewood.

The house was well-kept in 2011 but declined over several years. For two years, the cover on the water meter was always open, because that's how the homeowner turns the water on and off.

"So, I basically just turned it off at the meter and turned it on when I needed it," said Gatewood.

"This is not the first homeowner I've worked with, without steady access to water or heat, who has had to figure out ways to survive in their own home," said Sadie Coltrane with Revitalize T-Town.

Revitalize T-Town says it's helped about 75 homeowners with projects just as urgent, this year.

"We have 76 homeowners on our waiting list, so there's always someone waiting for us to get the funds to help them with home repairs," said Coltrane.

Ms Gatewood's home declined the most during the years she was being treated for lung cancer. She feels like this is part of her recovery.

"Right now I'm running cancer-free, Thank God, and I'm moving forward and this is a big step towards that," said Gatewood.

The work is likely to continue for another 10 days to get the plumbing and heat working again.