CONROE, Texas – When you think of home repairs, you often think of hundreds, if not thousands of dollars going down the toilet.
(Sometimes literally)
From busted pipes to drywall repairs and even decking to flooring, any work can run up a quick tab.
For those on a fixed income, like senior citizens, a lot of that work is out of reach and gets put on the back burner. In many cases, that just makes matters worse.
Josh Eubank witnessed the worst cases firsthand in January. He and his friend asked local seniors in North Harris County if they needed help insulating their pipes before a hard freeze.
“Then I had a bunch of extra pipe insulation sitting around, and we wouldn’t put it to good use,” Eubank said.
Within a matter of just three days, they helped more than 50 seniors that couldn’t physically wrap their pipes or financially afford to do so.
It’s then that he realized the deeper need the community had.
“The more houses that we went to and so all the problems that the seniors are having, the more I realized the seniors really need our help,” he said. “And if we don’t help them, I don’t feel like not too many people will because I mean. Some of their conditions are pretty rough.”
It’s the reason he created Seniors In Need Handyman Service.
He’s not alone in the venture. With the help of Isa Hakem, better known as the Lemonade Guy, and some hired help, Eubank is offering 100% free handyman services to seniors who need it most.
“For anybody that’s like 65 and up that are in desperate need of help. We want to get to them first,” Eubank said. “We understand that there’s a lot of people that are 65 that need some help, that are not financially able to do it, but we’re trying to get to the worst ones first and then like we have a long waiting list.”
They’re doing the odds and ends that seniors can’t physically do or financially afford, like drywall, painting, appliance repair, and even replacement.
One of those people they’re helping is Joanie in Montgomery County.
At her house tucked away in the rural part of the county, Joanie’s garage lies in shambles with holes in the wall, missing drywall, and paint peeling away.
“The freeze. The hard freeze. We had the pipes burst. All those pipes burst,” Joanie said.
She could barely afford to have the plumber come in and stop the leaking and replace the pipes. Being a single-family household after her husband passed away and only collecting Social Security, finally fixing her home was a dream just out of reach.
“There’s no way. It’s, it’s no way,” she said. “Even if they told me they could do it for $2,000 I would have to say let me see when I can get $2,000 I, there’s no way I could get it done.”
That’s why Josh and his crew are doing it for free.
“It’s amazing. Just amazing. Who would ever thunk,” Joanie said.
There’s one person. The person who drives Josh to do all of this, oftentimes, out of his own pocket.
Josh: “My mom pretty much put it in my head when I was a little kid, ’You always got to give. You be a good person, do the best you can.’”
Gage: “You take it as a personal challenge to get these these tasks done?”
Josh: “I have a job. My job is to be a leader. My job is to try to drive other people, to want to do the same thing.”
He’s accomplished his goal, gaining the support of a local Conroe hardware store.
Well, just scrolled Facebook one evening,” said Justin Smith, General Manager of Higginbotham Brothers Hardware. “He had posted asking for donations towards some fencing.”
Josh’s story, his commitment to the community, and his call for help has captivated Smith to help.
“Started talking, and, you know, came up with a way we could probably help out more people,” he said.
They’re helping out by taking donations from customers and giving Josh products at cost, meaning the price they pay from suppliers. This is helping to cut Josh’s materials cost in half.
“They, you know, supported us through all the years and, you know, help these folks out,” Smith said.
The helping hand from the hardware store is hopefully just the beginning. While Josh is handy, there’s some stuff he can’t do.
Josh: “I got one, they sewer ain’t working. We need to find somebody knows how to go out there and work on sewers.”
Gage: “And you say we got to find.”
Josh: “Yeah, we got to find. It’s our. It’s our job. And make sure we can help as many people as we can. You know, every every senior we’ve been helping has become like part of our family. It’s a relief. It’s a relief knowing that we got to them and we were able to get them done, go on to the next.”
To support Josh’s efforts, you can make an in-person donation at the Higginbotham Brothers Hardware at 2809 E Davis St, Conroe, TX 77301 or you can visit the Seniors In Need Handyman Service Facebook page.