In Cairo, Georgia, 84-year-old Earline Cooper lives at the center of everything. “I can see the courthouse from my house, and the park is next to my house,” she said. “My house is the first house on the street.”

When the weather’s warm, which is most of the time in South Georgia, Cooper practically lives on her front porch. “I have some rocking chairs out there, and if anybody come to visit, we can all sit down and look at the scenery,” she said. “Living next to the park, we get a lot of activities.“

Cooper inherited this multigenerational family home from her grandmother Claral Wynn, who bought it in 1943. When an opportunity came along to make her old home safer and more livable, she jumped at the chance.

Cooper loves to read, mostly nonfiction, especially health information but even cookbooks. When she picked up the newspaper that week, she saw information about how to sign up for home repairs through the Community HOME Investment Program (CHIP).

“I walked up to city hall  where they had the information, and asked about it, and they let me put my name on the list,” she said. “That’s the best thing I could have done, is get that information and fill out my application. I just followed through, and it was a blessing that they helped me.”

The federally-funded CHIP program helps pay for home rehabilitation for qualifying homeowners, administered locally through the Southwest Georgia Regional Commission. With funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the HOME Investment Partnership Program, CHIP aims to make sure Georgians have safe, decent, and affordable housing.

The program is especially important for seniors with fixed incomes that can’t absorb expensive repairs. SWGRC promotes the program, collects applications and manages the contractors, a huge value for homeowners who might find such big projects overwhelming.

Cooper advised CHIP applicants to be “patient” with the program. It took three years to schedule repairs on Cooper’s home, but when the time came, her family rented a pod to move her things into so that workers could access the house. Cooper stayed with her daughter while her home was transformed.

While she was away, Cooper’s home was painted, inside and out, with new doors and windows installed. The crew replaced weak, squeaky flooring that was in danger of falling through. Strong, new flooring throughout the house reduced trip hazards for Cooper.

The bathroom got a new, walk-in shower that lowers the risk of falls. CHIP paid to install a new stove, sink and cabinets in Cooper’s kitchen. Workers also created a small closet in her bedroom and purchased a new hot water heater for the home.

CHIP installed a small back porch with a light and railings on the steps, creating a comfortable place to sit when Cooper wants privacy rather than socialization, a quiet place to cut up her greens.

A new heating and cooling unit replaced her old unit, which had been too small for the home. With added vents and extra insulation, Cooper’s home now stays comfortable in the hot Georgia summer and throughout the chilly winter. “She don’t even have to run it as much, because the house stays generally warm,” said Cooper’s daughter Faye Williams. “She used to be really cold.”

Williams estimated that the new unit and insulation reduced utility bills by $100 a month or more. These savings add up to a significant amount of money—about $1,200 a year—that Cooper can use to stay ahead of rising living costs.

All together the renovations have helped to make Cooper’s home more comfortable and safer. They’re small adjustments that would’ve been a significant financial burden on Cooper.

But beyond the individual benefits, CHIP helps to raise the property value of all the homes in the neighborhood by modernizing the properties and beautifying the community. Across the state of Georgia, homes were renovated through CHIP in eight communities in 2025 alone, bringing $400,000 in economic benefits that extend to homeowners, their families and contractors. Investment in home repairs can even have ripple effects for future generations. 

When she’s not reading or preparing greens, Cooper loves to do puzzles, go to church and Sunday school. Her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids come to visit regularly.

Williams said that everyone comments on her mother’s bright home with its crisp white trim. “Everybody always says, ‘Ms. Earline’s house is beautiful,’ ‘Ms. Earline, your house looks so nice,’” she said. “Everybody slow down and look at it.”

Cooper loves having a safe home that she can share with her family. “They just made my house look so much better,” she said. “I was so proud to know that I could get it done, and get it done so beautiful.”