ATLANTA -- Dorothy and George Williams lived through three Atlanta winters in a house with no heat, electricity, running water or even interior walls. Last year, the cold was so bitter that 73-year-old Dorothy was rushed to Grady Hospital with blood clots after one of her legs froze.

Their home on Fontaine Avenue just off Cascade Road in southwest Atlanta wasn’t always in such dire straits. The elderly couple was displaced for years after a contractor who promised to do repairs stripped the inside and disappeared with their money.

After The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on the story, media mogul and prominent Atlanta businessman Tyler Perry stepped in to cover the cost of the entire remodel of a home that Dorothy had lived in for more than 40 years.

Last month, Dorothy celebrated her birthday in the newly remodeled home, surrounded by family. Her son flew in from Washington, D.C. to cook and Dorothy got to make use of something she’s never had before now: a dishwasher.

“It was heaven, I’m just so happy,” she said. “We don’t have to be in the cold this winter.”

The trouble started one afternoon in 2021, contractor Steven Chastain knocked on their door. Chastain was known as a scam artist by multiple law enforcement agencies, and upended the elderly couple’s lives when he gutted the home.

There were no walls dividing rooms, only wooden frames that hinted at what the home looked like before it was stripped. In a room to the right of the front door, two single air mattresses covered in thin sheets were where Dorothy and George slept at night. Sometimes, they slept in their car if it was too cold.

Dorothy said she worries about others who may be caught in a similar situation.

“Somebody else is suffering, like what me and George went through,” she said. “What about the thousands of other people like us?”

Dorothy and George were met with an outpouring of support after the AJC reported on their plight. Their situation caught the attention of the mayor’s office, too, which worked to connect them with nonprofits that could help.

Today, the couple — who have been together 34 years — like to spend time sitting at the kitchen counter, chatting about the future. They dream about potentially fostering a child in their remodeled home and even going skydiving.

Perry’s construction crews worked quickly to get Dorothy and George back to living comfortably in their house. It only took a little over three months to do the job. Perry even stopped by to take a photo with the finished work.

During an October rally for presidential candidate Kamala Harris in Atlanta, Perry recounted the Williams’ story to a crowd of thousands.

“I have compassion for our seniors,” he said on stage.

A weight has been lifted off of the shoulders of Dorothy and George’s family, too. Dorothy’s grandchildren were frequently checking on them while they were living in poor conditions. The couple also made the long drive back and forth to Dorothy’s daughter’s house in Henry County when the weather was too cold to stay in their Atlanta home.

Cameron Franklin, one of Dorothy’s grandchildren, told the AJC that it was emotional to see the home rebuilt when they all gathered to spend time together during Thanksgiving.

“It’s really amazing, we were able to sit down and eat and joke and have fun,” he said. “Sometimes God comes through and answers your prayers.”