Birmingham, Alabama: Putting People First

by Marie Sutton

On a late October night, Wanda Holcomb found herself tossing in bed and unable to sleep. Rain was bearing down upon her Druid Hills home and her fractured roof was leaking throughout several rooms. She sat buckets out to catch the drips and drops in the living room, bathroom, and hallway, but then the ceiling in her bedroom started to pour water from above her bed.

“It was scary,” said the 59-year-old. She tucked towels near her headboard in hopes of catching the rogue rain before it rolled into her hair and face.

“This can’t get any worse,” she thought.

Holcomb began to ponder who she could get to patch up the spots in her ceiling since she could not afford a full roof replacement. She works seven days a week in food services at UAB hospital and lives with her son, who receives dialysis, and her 94-year-old ailing mother who has a fixed income.

Days later, a representative with the Protecting Good initiative knocked on her door asking if she needed any help getting repairs done to her home. Holcomb told the man about her roof. He checked it out and, with a crew, replaced it in one day.

It was a miracle, Holcomb said. “Nobody but God.”

Before being helped by the Protecting Good initiative, Druid Hills resident Wanda Holcomb could barely sleep on rainy days without water coming inside her from leaky roof. Today, she has a brand new roof and a newly-painted home.

The day after she got her new roof, it rained again. “And I slept good,” she said.

The Protecting Good initiative was launched by Protective Life Corporation (Protective) last year, in collaboration with the City of Birmingham, the State Department of Insurance and Habitat for Humanity. Together, they work to identify ways to be a good neighbor to the Northside Birmingham residents since building the 45,000-seat, multi-purpose Protective Stadium in the heart of their community.

They hosted listening sessions where residents shared their ideas and needs for support. Many centered around opportunities for advocacy, community programming, and community investment. One of the biggest needs expressed was for help with repairs to improve the condition of their homes. In response, a pilot program was introduced in the Fall of 2021 to offer home repairs and renovation to qualified residents.

To get the pilot up and running, Protective provided seed money for the initial program development. The City of Birmingham offered resources as part of

its community development block grant program. The Alabama Department of Insurance also provided funding, and Habitat for Humanity Birmingham, who builds charitable homes, offered to administer the pilot.

“Because these various groups share a mission to support our neighbors and revitalize our neighborhoods, these entities were able to collaborate and respond with greater impact than any of us could have done individually,” said Scott Adams, Protective Executive Vice President of Corporate Responsibility, Strategy, and Innovation. “The combined impact will truly make a difference and improve these communities.”

“Habitat Birmingham is excited to work with public and private partners to have a meaningful impact on the Northside community,” said Patricia Burch,

executive director of Habitat for Humanity Greater Birmingham.

“The partnerships forged for this project are incredible,” said Brian Powell, director of the Mitigation Resources Division for the Alabama Department of Insurance. “We have many groups working with us to make Birmingham a more resilient place to live and work. The project has already been a great success. We look forward to continuing these partnerships and seeing the project through.”

Several residents who needed critical repairs to their homes were identified for the 2021 pilot. They applied for the Alabama Department of Insurance’s Strengthen Alabama Homes grant which provides up to $10,000 for a roof replacement. Then, if additional funding was needed for other repairs, eligible residents may be eligible for up to $15,000 via the City of Birmingham’s Community Development Block Grant. So far, three houses have been renovated since August and many several more are in progress now.

“This is an example of how our residents can benefit when there are strong public-private partnerships,” said Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin. “It is my hope that this will be the beginning of many other partnerships that are born. Hand in hand, there is nothing we cannot do to make our city a better place.”

Rachel Watts agrees.

“I think it is wonderful,” said the 73-year-old Druid Hills resident. “I know a lot of people who could benefit from a new roof. I am so appreciative of mine.”

Watts lives alone in her northside home. Not long ago, she noticed water spots growing on her ceiling, but figured there was no way she would be able to replace her roof.

When the Protecting Good representatives came to her home inquiring if she needed help, she was overjoyed.

“I didn’t know where the people came from,” she said. “He asked if he could check my roof. Next thing I know, they were coming with supplies and replaced it.”

Watts has been living in her community for 40 years and said she is amazed by all that’s been done to revitalize the surrounding area. “I see a great improvement,” she said, “and it is well needed.”

Holcomb is grateful that her mother is alive to see their new and improved home and community. Through the Protecting Good initiative, she also got her back porch replaced and her home painted a warm gray and white. This summer, she plans to plant flowers around her home.

“And to think,” she said with a grateful sigh. “This all started with a knock on the door.”

Applications are now being accepted for the Protecting Good initiative with plans to renovate more homes this year. The program is limited to the neighborhoods in the Northside community which are Druid Hills, Fountain Heights, Norwood, Evergreen and Central City. For more information or to inquire about your home, call (205) 780-1234.