Author Mitch Albom saves 101-year-old woman’s home

Texana Hollis, 101, was evicted on September 14th, after her son failed to pay taxes on her dilapidated Detroit home.

Last week, Hollis cried tears of joy as she returned to her home of 60 years, now being rehabbed by a team of volunteers thanks to a local bestselling author.

Following Hollis' eviction, public outrage influenced the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to reverse its decision to foreclose. Unfortunately, this January, HUD ruled that the home was unsafe for Hollis to return to.

HUD refused offers to buy the house unless offers included guarantees to fix up the property to meet code.

Enter Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press sports columnist and bestselling author of "Tuesdays with Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," and his charity, Super All Year (S.A.Y.) Detroit. Albom purchased Hollis' property from HUD for just $100, then, in a joint effort with Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, donated $20,000 to fix up the home: walls and ceilings are being repaired, appliances are being replaced, and a new wheelchair ramp is being built.

"When I gave Texana the news that we were giving her house back to her, she was crying like a baby," Albom told WXYZ's Bill Spencer. "I've never seen a 101-year-old woman so grateful. She was thanking me and praising God like crazy."

"Everyone deserves a home," Albom said in a S.A.Y. Detroit news release. "Especially one they have lived in for 60 years. I am blessed to be able to help this sweet and deserving woman, who told me her husband got her that house after returning from World War II."

The property remains in Hollis' name, "with the stipulation that everything goes back to her," said Karen Love, director of media and community relations for Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries.

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries' volunteers are individuals who have been homeless, in prison, or recently out of substance-abuse detox programs. The organization gives them opportunities to demonstrate good work ethic, learn new skills, and to prove themselves responsible and capable of keeping a job. Program members are trained in the trades, learning skills like plumbing and carpentry, with the huge incentive of being eligible to receive a home of their own through the program.

Hollis' home is the fifth home Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries has fixed up.

The remarkable woman turns 102 on May 1st.