Sarah came to Habitat to provide her children with a safe and stable home. As a single mom of two, finding a decent and affordable place to live in Cape Coral was difficult.
Sarah lived in an apartment with numerous maintenance issues, including mold, which took a toll on her family. Both of her sons are asthmatic and need a healthy environment to thrive.
“It’s very motivational,” Sarah shared. “When you’re a single mom with two kids… you won’t give up because you want the best for you and your family.”
In March 2023, change was on the horizon as Sarah worked alongside Women Build volunteers to raise the walls of her home in Cape Coral. “Being a part of Women Build was amazing,” Sarah remembers. “It was [full of] loving people and felt like family, to be honest. If I had to do it all over again, I would.”
Joined by a team of Women Build volunteers, Sarah raised the walls that would become her family’s long-awaited sanctuary in Cape Coral.
Through her partnership with Habitat, she contributed 300 hours of sweat equity, completed more than 20 hours of homeownership classes and paid $2,000 in closing costs to make her dream a reality. Ten months later, Sarah purchased her home through Habitat with a mortgage payment set at no more than 30 percent of her income.
“I’m blessed and highly favored. God has been doing amazing things in my life. He opened the doors,” Sarah expressed. “This is one of the biggest moves I’ve ever accomplished in my life.”
Since closing on her home, Sarah no longer worries about mold or maintenance issues in her home or whether she can afford her bills. She and her sons can now relish the peace they have found in their home and neighborhood. “I love my house. I cherish my house because I know what I’ve been through; I know where I come from.”
Sarah’s hard work and determination paid off. She used her love for her sons and her desire to give them a better, stable life as a catalyst for success. “My kids are so happy,” Sarah says. “They say, ‘Mom, I sleep good and feel good. Thank you for doing this for us.’ They tell me every day how thankful and blessed they are to have their own house.”
Thanks to your incredible support, we’ve reached our $450,000 fundraising goal, empowering moms like Sarah to provide their children with a healthy, stable environment. But our work is far from over. There are still countless female-led households striving for an affordable home of their own. Let’s keep the momentum going! Every additional dollar raised will help another family achieve their dream of homeownership.
