KATY, Tex. – A Houston-area organization and numerous volunteers came together to renovate a home for two brothers who lost their parents.
“I love it,” said Jaylan Gray. “I’m speechless, way more than we asked for. Completely grateful.”
Twenty-two-year-old Jaylan and his brother Julian, 12, got a tour of their newly renovated home on Friday.
The last few years have been tough after both of their parents and grandfather passed away.
Jaylan promised his mother he would take care of Julian.
“[I] try my best to keep him in check, make sure he doesn’t get in trouble, and make sure he’s loved,” said Jaylan.
Their previous home was severely damaged by Hurricane Harvey and the 2021 freeze.
“At one point, I was just done with the house. I was ready to sell it at one point. It was too much weight on my shoulders. I couldn’t do it,” said Jaylan.
Disaster rebuild organization, Katy Responds, and countless volunteers stepped in to help.
“There’s just no way they could’ve lived in it and probably would’ve never fixed it,” said Executive Director Ron Peters.
Peters says they remodeled the entire home in three months.
Additionally, Lakewood Church furnished the home.
“I want you to have a safe place to live. I want you to be able to not worry about your home, for a few years,” said Peters. “This is what we do. It’s hard work. It’s non-profit work, but it’s why we do it is for those guys.”
Jaylin and Julian are now ready to start a new chapter in their lives.
“It makes me so happy to see that there’s good people. I just like the way we’ve been treated. I didn’t think anything good would happen,” said Julian.
Katy Responds was created in 2018 and has worked on about 160 homes.
To learn more about the organization and donate, visit katyresponds.org.
