Home, sweet Habitat home.

By Heather Russell, Habitat for Humanity Lakeside Partner Family member
 
Back in 2016, my young sons, Michael and Noah, and I were renting an apartment in the lower half of a house. Our upstairs neighbors were smokers, and the smoke smell would fill the hallways and our house, which would give me a headache. I’m not sure what their situation was, but whatever it was, they got quite a few visits from the police.

At the time, I was working as a special education aide for the Plymouth School District. One of the Habitat for Humanity Lakeside board members was head of the department. She knew about our situation from the occupational therapist who helped Michael, who has a degenerative vision impairment. The therapist asked if I wanted to be considered for a Habitat home. I didn’t even know what that meant.

I found out soon enough as the application process started. I filled out the first application. The next step was credit counseling. Then there was an in-home visit. Then there was a review by the Habitat board. I did it all without my sons’ knowing because I didn’t want to get their hopes up.

I found out we got the house on May 26, 2016, the same day Michael’s school surprised him with a field trip to New York to visit the Statue of Liberty, which was something he wanted to see while his vision was still good enough. I get choked up just thinking about it and this amazing community.

Groundbreaking was in the fall of 2016. My church was really involved and made meals for the workers. I did my sweat equity working at the Habitat booth at Plymouth’s Mill Street Festival. I also did drywall and siding and helped set up the trusses for the garage roof.

We moved into the house in 2017. Michael said the layout of the house was easy to maneuver. He and Noah had their own rooms, so they had more privacy and more space. I felt safer in the neighborhood, safe enough to leave them alone for a few nights so I could go back to school and earn a degree in cosmetology. I was able to make a career change and have been at my current salon for three years.

My family is more stable now. I don’t have to worry about finding a new affordable rental every three or four years as Michael and Noah grow up. We’ve been able to become part of this neighborhood and get to know our amazing neighbors. I feel more secure financially because my housing money is building equity in the house, not going to some landlord.  
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Has the experience been life-changing? Yes. As Noah says: “This house has affected my life greatly! I have my own spot to go to and it’s a very stable place to go to without having to move so often. We have been here for eight years now in July, and I am very lucky and happy to call it my home.”