Houston Woman Given New Roof to Prepare for Hurricane Season

By Cass Jacoby. 

Houston resident receives new roof as part of “40 roofs for 40 years” initiative to build more resilient neighborhoods. 

The Sunnyside home on court street has been in Shellie Williams family for decades, having first belonged to Shellie’s grandmother. This is the home where Shellie grew up and later cared for her grandmother and father until their passing. 

“I have so many people asking to buy or sell it, but I'll never sell it for nothing even when it was damaged, I still did the best I could to stay here," Shellie told KPRC 2. “It is a family property.” The home is filled with memories of loved ones and her grandma’s cooking, however, the age of the roof had begun to show. 

With hurricanes threatening Houston, the roof was no longer safe and the home left Shellie vulnerable. Luckily, thanks to Rebuilding Together (RT), CITGO and GAF the home is getting much needed repairs to stay resilient throughout the impending storms. “It's just delightful,” says Shellie. “I mean I'm just so excited about it.” 

The project is part of Rebuilding Together (RT)’s “40 Roofs for 40 Years,” an initiative to assist low-income elderly, U.S. military veterans, and working families in need, at no cost to them. According to their website, the repairs make “Houston homeowners safer and more resilient against storms.” 

Rebuilding Together has replaced 55 roofs this year, and aims to complete 40 more roofs with free shingles provided from GAF to prepare for hurricane season. “We come in and we make their homes safer and more resilient against future disasters,” says Christie Holland with Rebuilding Together Houston. “Our mission today is resilience, to get these families ready for the next disaster.” 

“As we prepare for another hurricane season in the Gulf, it’s a privilege to stand alongside our neighbors in creating stronger, more resilient communities,” CITGO President and CEO Carlos Jordá says in a  

Shellie is grateful, exclaiming, “God is good,". “I'm just so thankful that he has a light on me that I have a lot of strength.” 

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About Cass

Cass works as a reporter/writer for RoofersCoffeeShop, AskARoofer and MetalCoffeeShop. When she isn’t writing about roofs, she is putting her Master degree to work writing about movies and dancing with her plants.    

Photo credit: KPRC 2