“I’m not worried about having to leave my house anymore,” Christine shared. “If you can’t fix things like a sewer line, you’re going to lose your house. At my age, with my income, it’s really great that I can stay here and not have to worry about it.”
Christine, SNAP Client
AGING IN PLACE – CHRISTINE’S JOURNEY WITH SNAP
Seventy-eight-year-old Christine was born in Los Angeles. When she was five, her family moved to St. Louis, where she grew up and went to school. Moving to Spokane in 1995 wasn’t something she had planned.
“A friend and I were moving from Portland, Oregon, back to Minnesota. We got to Spokane, and the car broke down,” Christine recalled. “We needed money, so I went to work, and I stayed. Never did get back to Minnesota.”
Not long after arriving in the Lilac City, she met and married her beloved husband, Al. He had bought the house they called home in 1965 for a mere $1,000.
Sadly, Al passed away in November 2017, and Christine has lived in the house alone ever since.
“He was really a great guy. We did everything together. I really miss him. He was awesome,” she said fondly.
After her husband’s passing, Christine found herself facing the daunting responsibility of maintaining an aging home on a limited income. The house was built in 1905.
“The sewer line in the neighborhood was put in back in 1929. My sewer line failed, and you can’t live in a house without a working sewer line.”
With repair costs beyond her reach and no loan options available, Christine faced the heartbreaking possibility of losing her home.
“After Al died, his income went with him, and I just had my small income,” Christine shared. “I was sitting here going crazy. I didn’t know what to do.”
That’s when a friend suggested she contact SNAP, an organization she had only associated with energy assistance.
“I didn’t know they handled things like this,” Christine admitted. Within a week of reaching out, SNAP stepped in with $7,500 to replace her failed sewer line, allowing Christine to stay in her home. “I couldn’t have stayed in the house if they didn’t do the sewer thing,” she said.
But the story didn’t end there. Less than a year later, Christine received an unexpected call from SNAP’s Weatherization department, offering to evaluate her house. The thorough assessment revealed numerous critical updates needed to be made.
“They replaced all the windows in the house with double-pane ones,” Christine explained. “There was so much condensation around the old windows that the frames were rotting.”
SNAP also addressed other major issues, like replacing her drafty front door.
“Before they replaced it, you could see daylight all the way around it,” Christine said.
The improvements extended far beyond windows and doors. SNAP’s team discovered that Christine’s furnace was operating at just 20% efficiency, so they replaced it with a new, energy-efficient model. They also installed a modern hot water heater, insulated the attic, wrapped pipes, and added a carbon monoxide detector for safety.
“They even put an exhaust fan in the bathroom that vents to the outside, so there’s no condensation anymore,” Christine said. “All that work was done in just two days. I was amazed—and they did it all for free.”
The impact on Christine’s quality of life was immediate.
“The next thing I knew, my Avista bill came, and it was 50% less than what it was before SNAP came to my house,” she said. The substantial savings eased her financial stress and allowed her to continue aging in place with peace of mind. “Basically, they cut my utility bill in half.”
Christine’s experience highlights the often-overlooked scope of SNAP’s services.
“SNAP does so many things that people don’t know about,” she said. “When you mention SNAP, most people just think of help with winter utility bills, but it’s so much more. The biggest challenge is getting people to use it.”
Thanks to SNAP’s comprehensive support, Christine’s house doesn’t just feel like a home—it feels secure.
“I’m not worried about having to leave my house anymore,” she shared. “If you can’t fix things like a sewer line, you’re going to lose your house. At my age, with my income, it’s really great that I can stay here and not have to worry about it.”
Christine urges others to reach out and take advantage of SNAP’s services.
“Just go down to SNAP, and they will help you,” she advised. “I didn’t have to fill out a lot of paperwork—they took care of everything.”
Her gratitude for SNAP runs deep.
“They paid for things I never could have afforded,” Christine said. “They’ve spent over $25,000 on the house. None of it would have gotten done without SNAP.”
For Christine, SNAP’s support means more than just repairs—it means the comfort, stability, and joy of remaining in the house she calls “Home Sweet Home.”
“They have done so much, and to know they are there gives me such peace of mind.”
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