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Family and Current Housing Habitat for Humanity ECO is in the business of ending the cycle of poverty housing by partnering with families like the Nelsons. The possibility of being a homeowner before the age of thirty is a dream come true for single mother Anauka Nelson who will be the first in her family to ever own her own house. When she heard about Habitat from a co-worker, Anauka asked her family if they thought she could buy a home of her own. Knowing what a responsible, hardworking young women Anauka is, her family was quick to encourage her to try. “We currently live in SMHA (Stark Metropolitan Housing Authority) and we’ve been there for about five years now,” explained Anauka. “I feel that we’ve outgrown the apartment and the overall environment does not feel safe for my son or the type of place I want to raise him.” The apartment has a leak in the bathroom, damaged flooring, and drafty, old windows with missing screens. Anauka looks forward to the stability and safety a home of their own will provide their family, especially her ten-year-old son, Jay’Dyn. Jay’Dyn loves to play video games, board games, and draw. He also likes animals, spending time with family, sports, and math which is his favorite subject in school. “I definitely think having a house of our own is going to provide him a positive mindset,” expressed Anauka. “Being able to come home to something that we can call our own, having our own real address, or being able to say, ‘that’s the house I grew up in’ is something that every kid wants to experience.” Anauka dreams of Jay’Dyn one day going to college knowing that he has a place to come home to.
A Bright Future While in the Habitat program, Anauka has invested numerous sweat equity hours at ReStore, in House2Home education classes, and on worksites. “This has been an amazing experience,” expressed Anauka. “I’ve learned so much about myself and what I need to do, especially with finances. That has been the biggest challenge for me. I’ve always kept a budget of my own but going through those classes really taught me that I may need to cut out credit cards and what else to do or change.” She has thrived on interaction with volunteers and other future homeowners, learned about setting money aside each month for savings, and cultivated the value of being a good steward of the home she will soon purchase. In addition to sweat equity, raising her son, and completing courses toward earning a college degree, Anauka also works two jobs to provide for her family and prepare for the transition to homeowner. She works as a collections account manager for a local bank and part-time as a shift manager for a local fast-food restaurant. In many ways, Habitat is a third job right now, but it’s all worth it. “At the end of the tunnel I know there is the goal of the house and that is what drives me to continue to come each week,” an emotional Anauka said. “I’m really excited and can’t wait for that moment to happen!”