Bryant Ellis can wake up in the bedroom of his Hixson home, flip on the light switch and walk to the kitchen to make himself a pot of coffee. He can sit on the couch in his living room and watch television with his service dog, Whiskey, with insulated walls surrounding him and newly installed flooring beneath his feet.
Fifteen months ago, Ellis’ home was barely livable. Many could argue it wasn’t livable at all.
The disabled Army veteran who moved to Chattanooga from New York three years ago called the trailer that sits on property owned by his brother a “big, tin box.” It only had running water in the bathroom and holes in the walls. It hadn’t had an electrical account in 30 years, according to the power company.
But 13 volunteers spent three weeks rewiring and remodeling the space so Ellis could finally call it “home.” It has given him a better quality of life, he said on a recent October afternoon while sitting on the couch he bought on sale for his new space.
“It really was a labor of love,” he said. “It’s a place that I’m comfortable and that I know this is my forever home.”