JELD-WEN helps North Carolina woman stay in home

Keeping an older property warm and weatherproof can be an expensive business. Not having the money to pay for critical repairs can be the difference between witnessing your home deteriorate fast – or being forced to sell up and move away.

Robin Hunter, who is legally blind, owns a 1948 home in the historic Camp Greene neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina. “I have been here in this house for 30 years, and being a single parent, I always had to scrimp and save to get the little stuff done,” she says.

When Robin heard about grants to homeowners for improvements and essential repairs that bring their home into compliance with the city’s housing code, she jumped at the chance and applied.

The money was available thanks to a $1.3 million grant from the Lowe’s Foundation to the City of Charlotte’s Safe Home Rehabilitation Program. As Robin is on a low, fixed income, she qualified for assistance.

In partnership with Mooresville-headquartered Lowe’s Home Improvement and the City of Charlotte, JELD-WEN donated and fitted new energy-efficient doors and windows to replace existing ones in bad repair.

“The windows in the home were over 20 years old, so JELD-WEN worked with our field teams and local installer team to identify the right products to retrofit this home,” says Ken Berezinski, vice president, retail sales at JELD-WEN North America. “Our energy efficient products will help save Ms. Hunter money on monthly energy bills for years to come.”

Why it matters

Other home improvements included ENERGY STAR^® certified upgrades to heating and cooling, more efficient water heating, smart thermostats and attic insulation. The upgrades are helping Robin keep her home safe, healthy and easier to run. Just as important, the Safe Home Rehabilitation Program is having a wider impact by supporting people in danger of being priced out of areas they’ve lived in for decades.

“Many people in this neighborhood are on fixed incomes and can't financially afford to keep up with their homes,” notes Marcel Solomon, community relations associate at Lowe’s Home Improvement. But grants for critical repairs can help older residents stay in their homes, and families earning less than the area’s median income remain in place, creating diverse neighborhoods from which everyone benefits.

“It’s also important because Ms. Hunter’s home represents generational wealth,” says Marcel, “and we are helping her keep that home in good repair, so it can be passed on to future generations.”

Doing good, sustainably

JELD-WEN’s global headquarters are in Charlotte, so helping out in Camp Greene is a vivid example of the company’s ambition to support the communities it is part of and to make better, more energy-efficient homes for everyone, everywhere. It’s part of the company’s commitment to making a positive impact on the planet.

Like JELD-WEN, Lowe’s is a company with roots in the Charlotte community. “This project was a fantastic opportunity to show what two hometown companies can do,” says Ken, adding, “JELD-WEN and Lowe’s working together to build more sustainable communities, one home at a time.”

You can read more about JELD-WEN's efforts in responsibility in the 2022 ESG report.