Lisa Lane is a lifelong helper, but now she’s the one who needs help.
For generations, her family has lived in Crouse, on land not far from Indian Creek near Crouse Road.
They farmed the verdant soil there and raised beef cattle, and like many families in the Piedmont, they’ve been connected to spinning mills – Rhyne Mills, Carolina Mills.
Lisa, 63, has lived here most of her life, and on a particular section of her father’s plot of land for three decades. The larger parcel has been subdivided for family over the years, so she has a good scattering of kin nearby.
She worked a great many long shifts in the mills, cleaned houses, and earned a comfortable life, if not extravagant.
And often, she has used her spare time to help people.
She took care of her father and grandma in their old age so they could finish their lives at home, and when circumstances called for it she took her four grandchildren into the three small bedrooms of her trailer. Sometimes, when other families in the community were in crisis, she took in their kids, too.
“I feel like I’ve been keeping young’uns my whole life,” said Lane, with a laugh. “We had them stacked to the ceiling, but everybody had their little place. We used to take kids to parks and cookouts, and visit mom’s and go places. We liked to get together and do puzzles and go to bingo.“
“I feel like I’ve been keeping young’uns my whole life. We had them stacked to the ceiling, but everybody had their little place.”
But now, as the years have passed, Lane has become dependent on a walker to move around, she suffers from COPD requiring ongoing oxygen treatment, and she doesn’t get out much. She was hospitalized last year, suffering from a hernia, but she’s home now and her helping goes on. She lives with her daughter Dusty, 46, who suffers from Spina Bifida. Dusty is confined to a wheelchair, has kidney issues that require dialysis, and lost part of one leg not too long ago. She has skin lesions that require daily care.
And here’s where Lane’s need – and the Stateville Community Action agency I-CARE – come in. Lisa and Dusty need a used trailer.
They live in a mobile home with a small addition that is beyond repair. The home suffers from severe leaks that have caused extensive damage, worsening mold and air quality and causing electrical outlets to fail one by one as water seeps in. The plumbing is in disrepair and the floors, patched repeatedly from ongoing water damage, are now uneven and unstable, creating serious safety hazards and making even simple movement between rooms extremely difficult for both women.
Being away from city water, they have their own well, which failed some while ago – iron in the water destroyed the workings – and what savings Lane had went towards that repair.
They rely on space heaters in the winter and a window unit in the summer, and the electric situation makes those tricky.
Home Health Services will not visit the Lanes because of the trailer’s condition, leaving Lisa to handle Dusty’s daily wound and catheter management (and to pay for the supplies).
Last year, when Lisa had a health scare requiring an ambulance visit, paramedics filed the required paperwork with the Lincoln County DSS about the trailer. This brought Lisa and Dusty to the attention of a social worker in that department. She provided what help she could, and in turn passed their name to Executive Director Bryan Duncan and his staff at I-CARE.
I-CARE, which has served the area since 1965, offers a Weatherization and Urgent Repair program, managed by Shelton Moore, as one of its core services. This federally funded program provides basic rehabilitation services to disadvantaged homeowners so they can remain safely in their homes. However, funding is limited, so applicants whose homes are badly deteriorated are often deferred, as the cost of repairs exceeds the cost of replacement and would quickly drain the budget.
Lisa Lane’s home falls into this category.
“We’ve seen other families in similar situations, and we know what’s possible when communities come together. That’s why we’re working to build partnerships and gather resources to help Lisa and others like her. United Way of Lincoln County has stepped in to help, and we are hopeful that, with additional community support, we can secure funding for a used mobile home for Lisa, and build a pool of funds to help others.”
Duncan points out that housing maintenance remains one of the most urgent needs in most communities. “Many families use nearly all of their income just to meet basic living expenses, and that leaves little capacity to address critical home repairs.”
Moore said this leads to heartbreaking circumstances. “It’s never easy to tell someone we can’t help in the way they need, and we feel that deeply in this case,” he said. “Our deferral list has grown to 110 over the past few years. This leaves many families in unsafe and unhealthy environments.”
But I-CARE’s efforts don’t end when one avenue is closed – there are others.
“We’ve seen other families in similar situations, and we know what’s possible when communities come together,” said Moore. “That’s why we’re working to build partnerships and gather resources to help Lisa and others like her. United Way of Lincoln County has stepped in to help, and we are hopeful that, with additional community support, we can secure funding for a used mobile home for Lisa, and build a pool of funds to help others.”
Lane is grateful and hopeful.
“We’d like to have a roof over our head that we didn’t have to worry about, and that my grandkids could be safe in,” she said. “A used trailer would be fine – just one we could get around and move around in. I don’t want to move from here – we want to be on the land where we were raised. But if push comes to shove, that’s what it will be.”
Duncan and Moore insist that the effort is about more than housing, it’s about health, safety, and self-respect.
“Lisa deserves the chance to age in place with dignity—in a home she can feel proud of,” said Moore. “Everyone deserves to live in a safe, decent home—and to feel proud of the place they call home.”
Duncan agreed.
“This is the true spirit of Community Action—helping people find solutions to real challenges,” he said. “At I-CARE, we combine compassion with resources and strong community partnerships to help families overcome barriers and move toward stability. We’re grateful for a community that steps up alongside us to make these solutions possible.”
About I-CARE Community Action
I-CARE, Inc. is a private non-profit 501(c)(3) Community Action Agency (CAA) that has worked to expand economic security for vulnerable families since 1965. I-CARE strives to deliver high quality initiatives that allow access to jobs, housing, education, and childcare. The organization’s mission is to empower and assist individuals and families with low incomes to attain skills, knowledge, motivation, and opportunities to become self-sufficient and independent as well as to revitalize their communities.
To learn more about our housing replacement fund and to donate, visit: www.icare-inc.org
