THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WTXL) — For Ulysses Daniels, the biggest issue isn’t rent it’s keeping his home from falling apart.
- Storm damage has left his trailer leaking in multiple rooms, and on a fixed disability income, even basic repairs are out of reach for Daniels.
- About 1 in 7 homes in Thomas County sitting vacant shrinking already limited affordable housing options.
- Watch the video below to hear directly from Barwick neighbors about the daily struggle to keep their homes livable and what happens when help doesn’t come in time.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Keeping a home livable has become so expensive that some neighbors say they’re watching their houses fall apart in real time.
I’m taking a closer look at how rising maintenance costs are shrinking affordable housing in Barwick and across Thomasville.
We’ve talked about how housing insecurity affects kids and seniors in Thomas County but even owning a home doesn’t guarantee stability.
Ulysses Daniels, a Barwick neighbor, says after living in his mobile home for nearly 30 years, storm damage and rising costs are making it impossible to keep up.
Now his trailer leaks in the bedroom, living room, and kitchen sometimes right onto his furniture.
“And it's very hard. I'm not going to even be there, man. If I know another hurricane would come through here, nah, no way in the world I'd be able to stay in the house. I stayed in that house when the hurricane came, and the whole house was shaking and everything. And it was very scary, but I just thank God that we have a God that pulled over me and kept me safe because I didn't have nowhere to go,” said Daniels.
But Ulysses isn’t the only one in Barwick dealing with this kind of damage.
Margaret Roundtree, who is 71 years old and uses a walker, has lived here her whole life.
Her trailer was destroyed by Hurricane Helene, and while FEMA provided a new one, she says she can barely afford to maintain it.
With all the rain lately, water is already causing spots, and she fears she’ll see leaks soon if she can’t get a repair or cover for her roof.
“Since I've been over here, my light bill, it's more than what it's supposed to be. Okay, like right now, I'm on $310. But, you know, God bless me to try to manage it. But sometimes it gets hard now,” said Roundtree.
Across Thomasville, there are about 500 homes in serious disrepair, many long abandoned and without utilities.
Add in roughly 1,200 empty lots sitting unused…while nearly 1 in 7 homes in Thomas County sit empty, leaving hundreds of houses unoccupied and making it even harder for neighbors to find affordable places to live.
Ulysses says he’s still waiting to hear back from FEMA, which he contacted six months ago.
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