It doesn’t take a Habitat Regular Volunteer to tell you that stability is essential to any structure. Building your family’s future is no exception. And an essential need for building stability is having support. That’s why Valerie, a Habitat homeowner for 15 years, is grateful not only for her family’s home, but for the community they have built around it.
When Valerie and her family of five considered homeownership in the Bay Area back in 1997, they “resigned to the fact that homeownership in the Bay Area was not possible.” Even on two full time incomes, the dream seemed utterly out of reach until “in stepped Habitat for Humanity.”Fifteen years into their journey as Habitat homeowners, Valerie and her family have accomplished many long-held dreams. All five family members have embarked on new careers since moving in, but they cherish “having a home for our kids to come back to.” Valerie’s three children have each moved out, married, and started their own families. Their walls are once again ringing with the sounds of feet pounding up and down stairs as visiting grandchildren make new memories in their Habitat home.
And the community extends beyond their family. “With our neighbors,” Valerie says, “It’s a close-knit feeling of community… My family now has an extended family that is there for us. These people are connected to me with a bond that will never go away.”
Our Social Impact Study shows that Valerie’s family is just one of many, as Habitat homeowners overwhelmingly report being proud of where they live, and opening their doors regularly to friends and family.
Valerie and her family build the Habitat community, too, continuing to volunteer with us “to say thank you, Habitat, for your help, and to help others achieve their dream of owning a home.”
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