April 25, 2022 – Good things come to those who wait, and William Wilkinson – now 89 – waited. And waited. And waited. In fact, it was 1,626 days from the time Hurricane Irma brought her wrath on September 10, 2017 that devastated his west side home and February 22, 2022 when he moved into his new residence.
The new manufactured home was provided through a September 2018 “Rebuild Florida” grant for Irma victims and the indomitable perseverance of Senior Services Case Manager Winnie Costello and Community Paramedic Caryn Prather, who retires on April 29, both of whom helped Wilkinson every step of the way – from filing the initial 30-page application and every addendum to follow, to ensuring his new home was properly connected to utilities and furnished.
“To be fair, this process was happening in the midst of the pandemic,” Prather said. “So even though we had William file right away and stayed on top of things on his behalf, there were legitimate supply chain issues and worker issues.”
Wilkinson had been Costello’s client through the Meals on Wheels program for many years before Irma, and she asked Prather to stop by to provide him with a health check. The dynamic duo pooled their external resources to ensure the man they care for didn’t fall through the cracks.
“It’s the partnerships other entities and companies, like Home Docs (which helps Wilkinson bi-weekly with his medications), that work together for the benefit of our residents,” Prather said. “You do what you have to do, but you can do much more with the help of others.”
Prather and Costello became increasingly concerned about Wilkinson’s living conditions following Irma. They were encouraged to learn about the program – funded through a partnership of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – that would potentially provide sound housing for him.
“He never married and has no children. He has one sister who is two years older and lives out of state, which means he really is on his own,” Costello said. “He’s very comfortable on his street where he knows everyone and has his cats. Moving away really wasn’t an option that would have suited him.”
Even a few months’ stay at the Best Western Plus in Palm Coast during the transition proved to be a hardship.
“For the first three weeks, he drove back every day and would try to stay on the property,” Prather said. “We’d have to convince him to go back.”
A promise by Costello and Prather to feed the cats daily – and the universe aligning to render Wilkinson temporarily carless – won out in the end.
“With all the setbacks, it ended up taking a much longer time than we ever imagined,” Prather said.
Prather and Costello organized a clean-up day for Wilkinson’s property in 2020 on the assumption the new manufactured home would be delivered in short order. More than a dozen Fire Rescue staff spent a day readying the property for naught.
“A lot of them had just come off call,” Prather said. “(Former firefighter) Aaron Price, who had just started his own business called Flagler Dump Service, donated his time, a dumpster, and the dump fee. This really helped.”
All progress stalled from May 2021, nearly a year after the clean-up, to Thanksgiving that same year.
“Winnie did it all,” Prather said. “At least 50 emails back and forth. Anytime they said something else was needed, she was on it. She was willing to give everything she had to get this done.”
The home was delivered, but it sat for months before it was moved to its permanent position, hooked up to utilities and skirted. Costello and Prather couldn’t let Wilkinson move in without furnishings and continued with their angelic efforts.
Costello secured a new mattress and box springs. Families of local firefighters donated sheets, towels, blankets, and cookware. Larger, gently used furniture made its way into the house. The firefighters’ union donated money to buy Wilkinson a television. An accessibility ramp was added.
“He cried, ‘This is mine, this is mine,’ when he saw it,” Prather said. “It’s great because it allows him to enjoy the outdoors, his neighbors, and his cats.”
Wilkinson now has his home decorated with knickknacks that he bought from the thrift shop near the hotel where he stayed – mostly cats and a couple of horses. A picture of his sister is on his dresser.
“It was an interesting ride,” Costello said, “but I would do it all over again.”
Media Release: Flagler County. Julie Murphy, MPIO
