Page 13 - Lowcountry Homes Guide

A s baby boomers age, our state's
older population is growing
rapidly, and there aren't enough
services to meet the demand.
Beaufort County is a popular relocation,
and retirement destination is no exception
to this trend. Almost 20% of South Caroli-
na’s population is classified as seniors, and
it is estimated that by 2030, 1.8 million
residents of South Carolina will be part of
this group. Statewide, over 10% of seniors
live in poverty, and over one-third of them
live on their social security benefits alone.
One of the most critical challenges that
face this population, particularly for those
living in poverty, is home maintenance,
home repairs, or home modifications nec-
essary to make it possible for them to safely
and comfortably live. For the past decade,
Beaufort has been home to an organiza-
tion that has made it its mission to bring
aging homeowners and their communities
together to meet those needs.
Under One Roof is a nonprofit orga-
nization that repairs or modifies homes
of residents 62 years and older. Using a
workforce of skilled volunteers, they do
projects that allow the homeowners to
remain in a comfortable and familiar envi-
ronment while ensuring that the home is a
safe and accessible location for them. Un-
der One Roof completes twelve to fifteen
projects annually, and using a combination
of volunteer labor, financial support from organization since it was founded in business, he worked as a general contrac-
local churches, civic organizations, and 2010 by Richard Drake. Drake moved tor doing remodels and additions through
grants, they complete all of their projects at to Beaufort in the early 1990s and has his company, The Drake Company, for the
no cost to the residents. spent almost 30 years here with his family. past 16 years. Several years into his busi-
Under One Roof has been a 501(c)3 After spending decades in the restaurant ness, he began to do small projects, like
grab bars or ramps for aging residents of
Beaufort County living in poverty. His first
project was a grab bar for a man returning
home from the hospital. The home modi-
fication was such a relief to the man and
his wife that Drake was inspired to take
on more projects. As he worked on each
project, he saw the scope, the need, and
the impact these small projects made on
the lives of his clients. An idea was born,
and for the past ten years, Drake has been
working on expanding his ability to help
those in need with his construction skills.
Initially, Under One Roof completed
five projects annually, but as their board,
budget, and volunteer pool has grown,
they have been able to expand and
now have completed more than a dozen

BeaufortLifestyle.com | April 2020 49