Join Us in Building Troy's New Home

My name is J.P. Rogers. My neighbor is Adam Troy Taymon. Troy is a very hardworking man and over the last year has fallen on some hard times. His car broke down and he couldn't afford the repairs, which led to him being fired from his job. Without transportation, he couldn't easily look for employment. He was living in a shed-house at the time without any utilities... no water, no electricity, no plumbing, no insulation. It barely qualified as shelter. Unfortunately, Troy couldn't maintain the payments on the shed-house, and it was repossessed and removed from his property. Another of Troy's friends brought him a couple of tents to live in as temporary shelter. However, Troy still didn't have transportation other than an old bicycle he picked up from the roadside and rebuilt. He could ride to the river to bathe and wash clothes and sometimes ride to my farm to work when I could afford to pay him. Troy is 61 years old. I didn't know Troy until after he moved into the tents. I had moved to my farm a couple of years earlier. I passed his quarter-acre lot almost daily. One Sunday afternoon, I felt compelled to introduce myself to Troy and hear his story. One of the first things I learned about Troy is his tendency to embellish the details. He means no harm in this... he just loves to tell stories... and he has a ton of stories, like the one about police cars with square tires. Troy's property was in pretty bad shape. Lots of trash, old tires, a dilapidated camper he used as a dumpster, his broken-down car, and the tents resulted in another neighbor lodging a complaint with the county health department. That complaint led to an eviction threat for non-compliance within 30 days. I called the health department and requested and received an extension. Troy and I immediately got busy cleaning up the property. We first built a sturdy 8x12 foot shed to store his keepable items such as tools, lawn mower, some supplies, etc. We got him a porta-potty because the septic system was collapsed and unusable. Troy sold the car and camper. We continued to clean up the property and got Troy a trash pickup account, a water account, and an electricity account. I pay the electric and water bills. We installed a temporary power pole and a frost-proof spigot for water. I bought a 16-foot camper for better shelter. Troy now has utilities for the first time in 15 years. I replaced the septic tank, and that allowed Troy full use of the camper facilities, shower, and kitchen. Then I set my sights on getting Troy some transportation. A very gracious couple, friends from church, sold Troy a car for $800. He loves it.

So Troy is doing much better than he was a year ago. He's gained a little weight and looks and acts healthier. He finds odd jobs and is still looking for more permanent work. The next hurdle is permanent housing for Troy. The power pole is temporary and will be renewed next week for another six months. My plan is to build a small 16x24 foot house for Troy. One bathroom and one bedroom, great room, and kitchen along with laundry. The plans have been submitted to the County Permit Office. We are waiting for their feedback. Troy and I have several years of experience in the construction trades, and we will build the house.

I've invested almost $30K into Troy's life over the past year. I don't say this to brag. It's to let you know that I have skin in the game, so to speak. I am a Christian, and I suppose I am taking the Biblical admonition to "love your neighbor as yourself" to a whole new level with Troy. In addition to being my "neighbor," Troy has also become a good friend. Troy and I are going to build that house. I hope you'll join us in this new chapter of Troy's life.

All donations will be used for building materials only.