Women Build Bio: Crystal
As a fulltime VPK teacher and a single mother of three young children, Crystal works hard to provide her family with the best life possible. But, like so many families of moderate means in Southwest Florida, the rising cost of housing has become an unbearable burden. “We were living paycheck to paycheck, which created a lot of stress and insecurity for my kids and me,” said Crystal. With rent continuing to skyrocket and her wage remaining the same, Crystal found herself stretching each paycheck further and further.
Eventually, the costs became too great, forcing Crystal to move her family into her mother’s small home. “It’s crammed, but with rent being crazy high, we didn’t have a choice.” Crystal was familiar with Habitat’s affordable homeownership program and after attending a homeowner’s information meeting–she realized that homeownership was possible through a partnership with Habitat.
She applied and once approved, Crystal began working on her sweat equity hours and attending the educational courses. Asked what excites her most about owning a home, Crystal said, “I’m looking forward to providing my children a home to grow up in, showing them that hard work pays off and seeing them grow up happy and free making new friends along the way in a nice community. It’s going to be nice having a stable home where all 4 of us can reaching milestones and celebrate together.”
Learn how you can support families like Crystal’s by visiting habitat4humanity.org/womenbuild.
