Nonprofit group repairs home for brothers who lost both parents and all of their money

A pair of brothers from Texas are in tears thanks to a loving and kind gesture from some strangers. The story spans a few years and it began when the first tragedy struck.

Julian Nicholson and Jaylan Gray have had a hard time living since losing both parents and their grandpa.

Thanks to a horrible blood disease, the brothers lost their mom 2 years earlier. All they had left was the house.

Before passing, their mother made them promise they wouldn’t sell the home. It was paid off by her and their stepdad and she thought it’d be a waste to sell. So Julian honored her wish.

So big brother Julian was left to raise Jaylan on his own, and that was only one of their massive hurdles.

Caring for the house is easier said than done when the weather is this unpredictable. In 2021, a nasty winter storm spelled disaster for numerous Texas residents. Pipes started bursting, walls started breaking, and houses started flooding.

Their home was a mess thanks to the storm in 2021. Still, he promised his mom he wouldn’t sell it. He hired a contractor to fix it.

The contractor he hired to fix the home ruined the home even more and ran off with $20,000 of Julian’s money.

Put yourself in Julian’s shoes for a moment. You’re a young man in college. In all of 4 years’ time, you’ve lost both parents, a grandparent, much of your home, and all your savings while raising your little brother.

It’s fair to say Julian had the weight of the world on his shoulders and deserved better.

His willpower is certainly worth commending. Most people would’ve given up by then, but he had his brother depending on him.

Word of their situation reached Kevin and Michelle Duty, who lead an organization that rebuilds damaged homes.

Julian and Jaylan had to live in their grandmother’s home while the older brother was figuring out what he could do about the home. The answer: not very much. The damage was great and much of his income was going to bills rather than repairs.

Well, Kevin and Michelle’s organization Katy Responds was here to be the help they needed, but never knew was there.

The nonprofit group does its magic via donations and volunteer help.

Kevin, Michelle, and a group of volunteers came to see what they’d be working on, and it shocked even Kevin. He says “his heart sank” when he saw the reality that Julian and Jaylan were living in.

“We’ve fixed 160 homes and the stories from each renovation are emotional. But this one really touched our hearts.” said Ron Peters, executive director of the organization.

The brothers really were dealing with the worst the organization had ever seen.

So now, more than ever, their services were needed.

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The plan was simple: do what they’d done 160 times before. Maybe give it a little extra love and care this time too?

It would take 3 months to remodel and repair the home, but they could do it.

The volunteers were all as heartfelt as Kevin and Ron were. They knew how much this house meant to the family, or what was left of it.

Knowing what they’d been through and the promise Julian made to his mom, it made the project a lot more important.

So they pulled out the old boards, fixed the roofs, replaced old furniture, and repainted every inch.

After 3 months, the home looked good as new. In fact, it looked way better than new.

It looked cleaner, fancier, and most importantly, it looked like a home.

Julian was in tears. These tears may not just be tears of joy, but also tears from everything leading up to this point.

Now he can support his brother, fulfill the promise he made, and have a roof over their heads.

“My goodness, I was blown away. Everybody was so kind to us — they went above and beyond.” he said