By Charlie Allis, Habitat Lakeside marketing intern

For many people, a home is more than just walls and a roof. It’s often the foundation for security, opportunity, and community. However, not all homes are built the same.

You might wonder why Habitat home buyers don’t just find a real-estate agent and buy a house. That’s because there are several crucial differences between a home bought in the conventional way and a home bought the Habitat way.

Cost and Affordability
Conventional homes are purchased at market price and ideally sold for a profit. To make purchasing a home possible, most families need a mortgage, which can carry a relatively high interest rate with the average being 6.77 percent for a 30-year mortgage in Wisconsin, according to Forbes.com Advisor data. This can be a long-term financial burden to a family, especially if its financial situation changes, due to loss of a job, for instance.

In comparison, Habitat homes are appraised and sold at a fair market value and appraised value to ensure that the home does not negatively impact other houses in the neighborhood. An affordable mortgage keyed to the family’s income makes monthly payments manageable. Habitat for Humanity also provides financial classes to help homeowners learn to budget and manage their finances. This allows homeowners to have a stable, decent, and affordable home without causing the stress of excessive debt.

The Building Process
New homes are fully built by paid contractors and laborers and are customizable in any way the buyer would like, if their budget is large enough. Buyers are rarely involved in the building process, other than choosing paint colors and finishes.

Habitat homes are built by the construction team and volunteers. The family must contribute 250 to 400 volunteer hours to Habitat for Humanity, which typically encompasses onsite work or work in the ReStore. Being directly involved with the organization allows home buyers to make a connection to many members of our team and community and helps them feel a sense of pride in and connection to their new home.

Community Involvement
Prospective owners of conventional homes often have limited interaction with other members of the neighborhood or community due to the limited amount of involvement in the building process. Habitat homes, however, emphasize community engagement. Families work closely with the organization, volunteers, and local supporters throughout the building process. Habitat for Humanity also offers guidance and education, which helps homeowners maintain their homes and manage their finances long-term, contributing to stronger community bonds and creating greater stability.

Long-Term Impact
Conventional home buyers are often left on their own to figure out details such the mortgage process and budgeting. For some, this can cause a financial catastrophe: According to data from Realtor.com, as of October 2025, foreclosure rates have increased almost 20 percent since this time last year.

In comparison, Habitat for Humanity helps home buyers throughout the buying process, limiting confusion and purchases that strain budgets. Habitat homes are built to be a stable, decent, and affordable home for the family to live in, and a way for a family to create generation wealth, just as buyers of traditional homes do.
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Having a Habitat home is more than just having a place to live. It is a chance to build a future in a safe, stable environment where a family can thrive.

Habitat Lakeside Construction Supervisor Derek Schultz and a volunteer construct the walls for Habitat Lakeside’s 53rd home.

By Penny Rayfield, Habitat Lakeside family services manager 

The word “home” has always had a special meaning for me. I grew up moving often, from state to state and attending 10 different schools before 6th grade. Having a place to call home was not a concept I was familiar with, so homeownership seemed like something that was out of reach. 

When I had a family of my own, providing a home was an important goal. I was fortunate to meet a real estate agent who helped us find and purchase our first home. Her commitment to finding an affordable, decent home for our family changed our lives. It also showed me the financial benefits of homeownership that I never knew existed. This sparked a desire in me to help others experience the benefits of homeownership, so I became a real estate agent. It was fulfilling to have a career that gave me a chance to help others achieve something I was passionate about – owning their own home. 

A year ago, I was able to join an organization that is also passionate about homeownership. Habitat for Humanity Lakeside is dedicated to ensuring everyone in Sheboygan County has a decent place to live and I am blessed to be part of this mission.  

I meet and work with future homebuyers through the application process, homeownership preparation, and watch their excitement and growth as they work through our homebuyer program. They embrace the education and volunteer requirements involved as they prepare for home ownership not with complaints but hope and excitement as they work to build not only their future home but others. They put in a lot of hard work over the 18 to 24 months it takes to purchase their home. 

Their resilience is inspiring. I think the hardest part for me is the home visits where we witness firsthand the conditions these families live in. Two of our current families have lived in their apartments for more than five years as rent prices continue to increase. They live with dangerous conditions such as broken windows, entrances that are unsafe and sometimes unusable, and electric wiring so old and overloaded that they must unplug one appliance to use another. At one home, the adult won’t let her children turn on a light switch for fear they will receive an electric shock.  

Another family deals with cold in the winter as their 30-plus-year-old furnace works when it wants to. One future homeowner told me the plumbing in her apartment is so bad that it takes 24 hours for the bathtub to drain. She’s looking forward to her children enjoying a hot bath more often.
 
I have heard that people think Habitat for Humanity gives homes away, but that is far from the truth. Our families not only endure living conditions most of us have never had to experience, but they also step up and do the extra work required to purchase a Habitat home. Unlike other homebuyers, they don’t get to shop for their “dream home” or even choose the location or style. All they want is a decent, affordable home for themselves, their children, and future generations.  

Future Habitat Lakeside homeowner Kewanna Ashford with her children on the site of their new home.

By Le’Shay Guy, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity Lakeside

When I think about leadership, I think about building not just homes but people, communities, and futures. My leadership journey has been shaped by a belief that true progress happens when we empower others to rise alongside us. That philosophy guides me daily as the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Lakeside and now as a participant in the Leadership Sheboygan County program.

My passion for Habitat for Humanity began in high school, when I volunteered with my local Habitat affiliate in Michigan. What started as a way to serve others soon became a lifelong calling to affordable housing advocacy and helping families achieve stability through homeownership. Over the years, I’ve worked in higher education, nonprofit engagement, and leadership roles that have deepened my understanding of how communities thrive when compassion meets strategy.

When I joined Habitat for Humanity Lakeside, I knew I was stepping into an organization with incredible heart. My goal has been to strengthen our foundation — operationally, financially, and relationally — to build more homes and impact more lives. Our affiliate has grown significantly in the last year: We’ve increased donor engagement, expanded partnerships, and set a bold goal to build five homes a year in the near future. But none of this work happens alone. It takes a team of staff, volunteers, homeowners, and community partners who believe in the same vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

This year, I was selected to join Leadership Sheboygan County, a program designed to cultivate collaborative, community-minded leaders. Each session challenges me to look beyond my organization and see the broader systems at play within our county, from housing and economic development to education and health. It’s a humbling reminder that leadership isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about asking the right questions, listening deeply, and working collectively toward solutions.

What excites me most about this journey is the opportunity to grow personally and professionally. Leadership Sheboygan County is helping me refine how I lead — with empathy, accountability, and vision. It’s also connecting me with other leaders who share a desire to strengthen our community in lasting ways. Together, we’re learning that leadership is not a title or a position, but a daily commitment to serve purposefully.
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As I continue to grow in this role, my goal is to leave a legacy of leadership that builds beyond walls — one that inspires others to serve, dream, and create opportunities for all. At Habitat for Humanity Lakeside, every home we build represents hope and resilience. And for me, every step in this leadership journey is another brick laid in the foundation of a stronger, more united Sheboygan County.

Le’Shay Guy (left), with Habitat homeowner Teanna Zillmer and Habitat Lakeside Board Chair Diane Ebenreiter. Photo: Whitney Morales

By Rachel Hartlaub, Habitat Lakeside ReStore manager
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In November of 2017, I had the experience of a lifetime. At the time, I was an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer specialist at the Habitat for Humanity affiliate in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I remember my boss, Kahya, going through orientation with my friend Abby (we started AmeriCorps at the same time) and me and nonchalantly bringing up the affiliate’s Global Village Trip to Cambodia. I thought “oh my gosh, how awesome would it be to go!”, but then quickly brushed the idea aside, as I was making poverty wages at the time. This is a requirement of AmeriCorps, as a volunteer earns minimum wage to truly understand and connect with the people they are serving.

My team leader at the time, Andi, hosted an informational meeting about the trip. Andi has this incredible energy about her. She was a construction volunteer who had traveled all over the world and had been to Nepal with Habitat before. I knew I would be in good hands traveling with her.

I don’t remember all the details, but somehow someway, I signed up for the trip and made it there! Giving plasma, working part-time on a dairy farm, fundraising, and a special donation all helped in paying for my trip. “When there’s a will, there’s a way,” right?

Our Cambodia trip was a “Big Build” theme, meaning that there were about 300 volunteers from all around world working to build homes within a week. Our group from La Crosse was about 20 volunteers. On Sunday we traveled from Siem Reap to Battambang by bus. Monday through Thursday we were on the build site for six or seven hours. It was so hot! We would all be completely drenched in sweat by the end of each day…thankfully our hotels had showers!

We did not finish our house by Friday, but we still celebrated with a Home Dedication. Our crew leaders were two small men with giant smiles from Cambodia, and we got to build right alongside our partner families, which was so special. Our family was a middle-aged woman and two teenage girls…maybe her daughter and niece? These houses were the size of a typical American kitchen and they were just so grateful and overjoyed to own a home.  Cambodians are so kind, gentle and humble. I couldn’t speak a lick of Khmer (I tried! Trust me.), but it is crazy how far a smile can go when developing friendships. I quickly learned through this experience that body language truly is 70 percent of communication. Without a doubt, this trip humbled me in more ways than one.

Habitat for Humanity International is such an incredible organization to travel with. They organized many excursions and cultural activities for the evenings, after the sweaty days of being on the job site. These included seeing a bat cave (NOT my favorite!), an amazing Cirque Du Soleil show, and a farewell carnival with live music, dancing, and local artists doing henna tattoos and caricatures.
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This was my first time ever going to Asia, and I couldn’t be more thankful for the experience. Now eight years later, I am still promoting Habitat trips and sharing what I’ve learned. Official Habitat affiliates are required to tithe 10 percent of their income to a certain assigned developing country to live out the mission of providing housing throughout the world. Sheboygan’s tithe country is Malawi, in Africa, and I would LOVE to see our affiliate go someday. It is incredibly moving to see this work done in Sheboygan and then 8,400 miles away in Cambodia. Because everyone deserves a decent place to live.

ReStore Manager Rachel Hartlaub (back row, center, with green scarf) and friends in Cambodia.