CAPSC Blog

Weatherization is an important part of making homes more efficient, but efficiency isn’t only about energy, fuel, and saving money. For many residents helped by Community Action Partnership of Strafford County’s Weatherization Program, it’s also about forms of independence and comfort that don’t involve the number on their thermostat.

Lindsey has received assistance through CAPSC every year for about a decade, ever since she first qualified for fuel assistance when she bought her home in her early 20s. Lindsey relies on CAPSC resources because she’s unable to work due to a spinal cord injury that paralyzed her when she was a teenager.

“I need a house,” she said. “I don’t want to live in assisted living or things like that.”

CAPSC employees have worked every year to make sure having her own house is still within Lindsey’s means. We’ve provided utility assistance, installed new attic and basement insulation, and made air quality improvements, among other projects.

“We were losing a lot of heat with the house not being insulated properly,” said Lindsey, who said she no longer has to keep her heat set to 80 degrees to ensure her home’s at a comfortable temperature.

CAPSC staff have also helped Lindsey access other services outside our organization, including a recent partnership with local nonprofit Community Toolbox to build her a new ramp.

Lindsey said all the help she’s received shows her she has an entire community behind her. 

“CAPSC has always been there to help,” she said. “It doesn’t feel judgmental. When you go to CAPSC, it’s welcoming, they’re inviting, and they give you more resources to find help because they understand that everybody struggles.”