Barre house to be renovated into care facility

An old house in Barre is being renovated into a new place for people in need of a place to call home while they're fighting for their life or at the end of it. And Friday, the nonprofit heading up the project was declared a hero.

You'll have to use your imagination, but employees with Tender Loving Home Care have big plans for a gutted house. The first two floors will focus on people needing hospice care or recovering from hospital procedures or cancer treatment. The top floor is for exhausted caregivers.

It's a big project but they're not doing it alone. Executive Director Roslyn Haldane says students from Spaulding High School helped renovate.

The project also got the attention of Lowe's. Friday morning, the group was declared a Lowe's Heroes Project and crews started demolishing the front porch. It's a vision that really captured the heart of one Lowe's specialist, Amy Bean.

"I get a little worked up here because... it just brought me back when my dad four years ago passed away. He was terminal, he had a month to live, all he wanted to do was die at home," Bean said.

Bean says the project aligns with Lowe's motto: Helping people live where they live.

Tender Loving Home Care is still raising money to make this dream a reality. If they reach their budget goal of $700,000, they'll open sometime next year.