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Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging reports about 269 home modifications completed under county-supported 'Nails It' program
Summary
June E. Taylor and Myron Bennett told the committee the 'Nails It' home-modification program has completed about 269 projects in Cuyahoga County, including grab bars, handrails, showers, ramps and ADA toilets, cited staffing and phone-volume challenges, and said the agency is pursuing philanthropic and state funding to sustain the work.
June E. Taylor, chief of strategy and philanthropy, and Myron Bennett, manager of strategy and performance at the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging, updated the Cuyahoga County Health and Human Services committee on the 'Nails It' home-modification program.
Taylor said the program aims to prevent falls by making relatively small home modifications such as grab bars, handrails, ADA showers, wheelchair ramps and ADA toilets. "To date in Cuyahoga County we have completed 269 of those projects," Taylor said, and the presenters gave a breakdown of completed installations: about 80 grab bars, 58 handrails, 46 showers, 31 wheelchair ramps, 48 ADA toilets and 6 window installations.
The presenters said the work has created opportunities for local small contractors (about 10 firms identified), that many products are manufactured in Ohio, and that the program is intended to both improve safety and provide local jobs. They described operational challenges—high phone volume, winter delays and an internal verification process for contractors—and said the agency is pursuing philanthropy, foundation support, bank partnerships and potential state appeals to continue the work after grant funds are exhausted. The presenters also described plans for two ADA 12-passenger vans to support transportation initiatives tied to dental services and food access.
Committee members asked about eligibility and triage (presenters said service is broadly need-based rather than strictly income-based and that assessments and contractor matching are handled by the agency). The presenters said they would provide a follow-up update on transportation work later in the summer.
