Davidson has been home to Edna Johnson for nearly 70 years. It’s where she grew up, built lifelong relationships, worked hard, and eventually met and married Bernard, a U.S. Army veteran and minister. Together, they’ve spent more than two decades of those years as a couple in Davidson, building a life grounded in faith, family, and service.
For a long time, their home met their needs. It is where they raised three generations and where Bernard lived out his calling to serve, first in uniform and later from the pulpit.
“Our home is everything,” says Edna. “It gives us peace and solitude.”
But as time passed and Bernard’s mobility needs changed, the home that once supported them began to present new challenges. A steep ramp with a raised hump made it difficult to use his walker. Inside, the bathroom was too narrow and unsafe. The risk of falling or injury was always in the back of their minds.
“If he can get in and out of the bathroom safely, that changes everything. It makes life easier for both of us and it takes away the fear of him falling,” Edna continues.
They managed as much of the repairs as they could on their own. Family stepped in when possible. But the scope of what needed to be done was bigger than what they could handle alone.
The Johnsons heard about Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte through their local community network and qualified for the Building a Healthy Neighborhood (BaHN) program, a comprehensive initiative that combines safe and healthy housing practices with a long-term, community-driven approach to revitalization. BaHN aims to improve individual homes and the overall health and quality of life within the community.
From the first conversation to the application, through the home assessment and into the full scope of work, Edna and Bernard placed their trust in the process and in the people behind it. They welcomed each step with patience and faith, knowing they were receiving repairs from a community that values their wellbeing.
The repairs included a safer ramp, grab bars, flooring repairs, and a tub-to-shower conversion to improve bathroom accessibility, as well as vital modifications like replacing unstable transition thresholds, securing loose flooring to prevent trips, and adjusting fixtures to ensure Bernard can move through his home with less strain.
Each repair was chosen with intention, making sure their house structurally works for them and the home that they built continues to reflect their commitment to each other, to their neighbors, and to the Town of Davidson.
