GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County woman says she has been living in a shed in her backyard for nearly two years after a contractor ran off with her home repair money. Now, a local nonprofit is stepping in to help her get back into her home.
Katrina Ameyedoe has lived in her house off Burns Road in Lilburn for 34 years. But after hiring a contractor to make much-needed repairs, her life was turned upside down.
“I never really did any repairs in the house, so I decided to do some repairs because the floor was falling in,” Ameyedoe said.
She hired a contractor and paid him a significant sum of money — more than $50,000.
“I gave him a big bulk of the money,” she said. “He basically cleared out my house, threw away all my appliances. He just really got rid of everything. He tore up my kitchen, tore up my bathroom, tore up my floors.”
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After that, she said the contractor disappeared.
“My house was undone and I couldn’t live in it, but I could never get back in contact with him,” Ameyedoe said.
She did say at one point he told her he would finish the job for an extra $10,000, but then stopped responding again.
With no place to go, Ameyedoe and one of her daughters have been living in a shed in their backyard.
A few months ago, they connected with Home Repairs Ministries, a nonprofit that helps low-income homeowners with critical repairs.
“The need is great, and we exist to help those homeowners with the repairs they can’t afford,” said Heather Loveridge, Executive Director of Home Repairs Ministries. “Even though we do all the parts of the repairs, something of this scale we had not done before.”
The organization is working with volunteers and community partners to finish Ameyedoe’s home — a project they describe as their largest yet. Loveridge says it will take eight phases of repairs to complete the work.
“It feels like my mom’s dreams and the things she’s worked so hard for are just shattered, and it breaks my heart for her,” said Ameyedoe’s daughter, Bernita. “All I want to do is get that smile back on her face and bring the love that she always wants back into it.”
Home Repairs Ministries, which serves Gwinnett, North Fulton, and Forsyth counties, assists low-income families making $22,000 a year or less with home repairs. The nonprofit has been operating for nearly 20 years, but Loveridge says this project wasn’t in their budget for the year.
Still, they are determined to finish the work by the end of the summer.
Last year, the organization completed more than 160 projects and served over 60 homeowners. This year, they’ve already served more than 30 homeowners, and in the first quarter of 2025 alone, they’ve received over 800 requests for help.
Loveridge estimates about $25,000 worth of work remains on Ameyedoe’s home, but volunteers hope to have her back inside within the next two months.
You can find information about volunteering or donating to the repairs here.
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