{"id":5840,"date":"2018-08-14T18:14:24","date_gmt":"2018-08-15T01:14:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tillamookhabitat.org\/?p=5840"},"modified":"2018-08-14T18:14:24","modified_gmt":"2018-08-15T01:14:24","slug":"tillamooks-ramps-rails-program-lends-helping-hand-max-kirkendall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tillamookhabitat.org\/2018\/08\/tillamooks-ramps-rails-program-lends-helping-hand-max-kirkendall\/","title":{"rendered":"Tillamook\u2019s Ramps and Rails program lends helping hand By Max Kirkendall"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes all we need is a helping hand.
\nSix months ago the Neaves family was looking at a heap of hardships. The loss of a job, facing foreclosure on their home, repossession workers coming to take the car and on top of everything, their roof was beginning to cave in.
\nDavid Neaves, husband and father of five kids, is a Navy veteran who served 14 active duty years, including four deployments overseas and two years in Korea. While in the Navy, Neaves accumulated a variety of injuries including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), that made everyday life much more difficult.
\n\u201cWith my service related injuries I haven\u2019t been able to maintain a steady job,\u201d David said. \u201cMy wife\u2019s been really working hard helping us try to make ends meet.\u201d
\nDavid met his wife Renee in high school and married her shortly after. Ten days after their wedding day, David was deployed in the Navy and over the first eight years of their marriage, they only spent two years together.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s tough because when you get home you really have to rebuild that relationship all over again,\u201d David said. \u201cThere were times when we were like two strangers meeting again for the first time.\u201d
\nFast-forward 27 years and the two are still together, living in Tillamook and their bond is stronger than ever. However, David said they faced tough times over the past two years, which led to his breaking point six months ago after he had lost his job due to his service related injuries.
\n\u201cI basically felt worthless,\u201d David said. \u201cI was denying the fact that I had PTSD so I was constantly angry. I was angry at myself, angry at people I\u2019d meet and having a hard time socializing, so I was drinking real heavy and dealing with it in an unhealthy way.\u201d
\nFacing a multitude of life\u2019s challenges, David was called in by the United States Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to evaluate his injuries after being 10 years removed from the Navy. During the evaluation, doctors asked him a variety of questions, which is when David said he emotionally broke down.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t realize I was that bad but there are a lot of veterans out there like me who don\u2019t know how to talk about things like that,\u201d David said. \u201cIt was getting to the point where I was just doing dumb stuff and I couldn\u2019t understand why I was so angry.\u201d
\nBut from that point on, everything seemed to change for the Neaves family. David was granted 100 percent VA disability, Renee has started a new job and David was able to finally take steps to getting back to his old self.
\n\u201cWe really didn\u2019t know what was triggering it, but we knew there was something because there are certain things in life that you suppress and you don\u2019t know how to express,\u201d Renee said. \u201cNow it\u2019s easier for him to talk to me, open up and express those things that frustrate him.\u201d
\nAs life began to find some stability for the Neaves family, they were still faced with the issue of the failing roof. A few months ago, David said his kids noticed water bubbling up behind the paint on the ceiling. The leak in the roof had gotten so bad that it seemed like it was raining in the house according to David.
\nKnowing the issue needed to be addressed, the Neaves family was examining their options on how they would be able to afford the expensive project. After being approached by a community member, the family learned about a Tillamook Habitat for Humanity program called Ramps and Rails, which supports seniors, people with disabilities and veterans.
\n\u201cOur whole goal is to make sure people are safe in their homes,\u201d Tillamook Habitat Executive Director Cami Aufdermauer said. \u201cLow-income folks are not able to just go to the bank and get a loan to pay for repairs, so we finance it all and they pay us back.\u201d
\nThanks to the Ramps and Rails program, the Neaves family is able to get that roof replaced with the help of Jesse Denning Construction, Rosenburg Builders Supply and William Sheet Metal Works, who donated an estimated $4,700 for the project.
\n\u201cI\u2019m really excited; it\u2019s more of a relief than anything else,\u201d David said of the new roof. \u201cHabitat has really gone out of their way to try to accommodate us and get us into the program and make us feel like a part of their family. Just thinking about the piece of mind and comfort that it will bring my family means the world.\u201d
\nDavid said the planning for the new roof lasted about two months and that it would only take a week to replace the old one. Despite being told they were accepted into the program, David and Renee both said they were trying to find out if there were other veterans out there who might have more of a need.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re so used to giving, giving, giving and when you\u2019re finally told that \u2018no, it\u2019s time to give back to you,\u2019 it makes you feel like all that hard work that you put in to everything you\u2019ve done is appreciated,\u201d Renee said. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing that they have a program like this that can help people who really need it.\u201d<\/p>\n