Meet Phyllis

Despite living in her Oakland home for 35 years, Phyllis was feeling conflicted. "For the longest time, I kind of figured I would leave and go somewhere like Fort Bragg or something like that," she says. That was before she secured home repairs through Habitat's Home Preservation Program, and had solar panels installed as one of the first homeowners served through the pilot Home Electrification Equity Project. 

What followed was more than an improvement in her home – the way she felt about her home and community improved, too.

The repairs and the solar panels, she says, "have just made me realize that I'm fortunate to have what I have. I have a home, my own house. It's a better home now. And there are people in this community who care."

The upgrades in her home have shifted Phyllis's day-to-day life. "It's nice to have even heat in the house," she points out. She's so accustomed to the meager output of a floor furnace that she's still getting used to the comforts of central heating. And with new copper piping, "the water tastes different now, and that's really nice." The solar panels have Phyllis feeling "more positive about the energy."

All of that, plus a fresh paint job, a new deck, rebuilt steps and a sturdy fence – Phyllis feels firmly rooted in a way that she hadn't felt before. It's helped her appreciate more deeply the simple pleasures of "cooking by season," roasting tomatoes every summer, planting sunflowers in her yard, and the space to create works of art in her home.  The privilege of being able to make her space her own. And Phyllis has taken the generosity she's experienced and projected it outward. 

It's just made me realize that I'm fortunate to have what I have. I have a home, my own house. It's a better home now. And there are people in this community who care.

PHYLLIS
Home Preservation Homeowner

"Part of giving back what you guys did for me – I felt that I should give back, too," Phyllis says. It recalled for Phyllis a childhood lesson in giving back, when at Halloween, her father suggested she collect donations for UNICEF in lieu of candy while trick or treating. It was a mindset she wanted to carry forward now that her feelings about home and community were rejuvenated.

And she has. She's joined an advisory council to work with her city councilperson. Linked up with a senior group and enlisted in a safety committee to support the well-being of low-income people. Sought myriad ways "to see how we can help different people who don't understand that they have a voice."

Feeling more connected to her home has made Phyllis feel more connected to others – whether that's the richly diverse community of her neighbors or the fulfillment of bringing joy to people through her art. And with these connections, a sense of stability and a spark of optimism.