The Call for Action team works to get Texana Hollis back home

(WXYZ) - Seven months ago 101-year-old Texana Hollis cried her eyes out right after she was kicked out of her Carbondale Street home in Detroit - the house that she and her husband had lived in for almost 60 years.

The same house that Texana paid for and owned outright - free and clear.

The house was foreclosed upon last September, after her son Warren failed to pay the property taxes on the place for several years in a row.

To make matters even worse, all of Texana’s cherished belongings were tossed into the street and thrown into huge dumpsters like trash.

But now, Texana’s heartbreaking story is taking a 180-degree turn for the better. World renowned author and Detroit newspaper columnist Mitch Albom has purchased Texana’s home from the United States Department of Housing And Urban Development.

That’s the same group that promised to give Texana her house back and rehab it for her, only to back away from that promise and tell Texana that her home was unlivable.

That crushed Texana according to the friends who know her best.

But now, all that is changing.  Albom and his charity S.A.Y. Detroit, The Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries and the Call for Action team are all working together to completely rehabilitate Texana’s aging, home and make it like brand new again.

The transformation of Texana’s home will take 3-to-4 weeks and involves tearing-out many of the walls, replacing some of the ceilings and installing all new carpeting. 

The job will also involve building Texana a new kitchen and bath.

When the work is done, Albom himself will hand the keys to the house to Texana personally. It will be hers, once and for all.

So what does Texana think about all this?

I spoke directly to Mitch this afternoon and he told me,” When I gave Texana the news that we were giving her house back to her, she was crying like a baby.  I’ve never seen a 101-year-old woman so grateful.  She was thanking me and praising God like crazy.”

Be sure to watch 7 Action News next Wednesday at 5:00 when we will interview Texana, and tell you even more about our plans to change her life.