Starting over with a Habitat Home
One in 7 households in the U.S. pay half or more of their income on a place to live. That means the rest of their paycheck has to cover all of their other costs.
Habitat for Humanity – DeKalb (HFHD), for over 30 years, has provided a clear path to home ownership for hard-working, low-income residents of DeKalb County. We aim to provide decent, affordable housing that is not a financial drain on families.
One of the families that will soon be living in a new home is Monica and her two daughters. In fact, the majority of Habitat homeowners are single women that aspire to own a safe, stable home to raise their family.
Monica entered the HFHD home ownership program after a divorce. It was time for a fresh start. Monica moved to DeKalb County from Savannah. She was born in Savannah so this was a big change.
Monica and her two daughters, aged 19 and 15, moved in with her mother knowing that it would be temporary. After all, there was a total of 3 adults and 9 children living in her mom’s house.
Monica began working at a large home improvement store as a cashier. She has an Associates Degree in Human Services from St. Leo University. When she’s not involved in her daughter’s dance schedule, she enjoys family time and writing. Her mantra is, “Live life to the fullest.”
Monica’s oldest daughter is in cosmetology school. Her youngest is still in high school. Now, her youngest daughter will have the comfort of knowing that she will not have to move again and can graduate from the school she enrolls in this fall.
Owning my home will mean everything to me and my children after moving from Savannah and relocating to Atlanta. Starting over with my daughters will give me a chance to start my life over which will mean everything to me.
-Monica (picture from closing on her new home this June)
Sharon Steele, Executive Director, said, “I enjoyed working with Monica. She was so attentive to providing documents that I needed which was even more helpful given that we were doing all of this at the height of the pandemic.”
If you would like to help more people, like Monica and her daughters, get on the road to home ownership consider a donation to Habitat for Humanity – DeKalb.
For more information, email Sharon Steele about how you or your organization can get involved.