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family and current housingHabitat is proud to partner with hardworking, driven individuals who, in spite of difficult times, continue to strive for their dreams. Emily Williams is one such applicant. Roughly seven years ago, Emily separated from her husband and found herself as a single mother of three. For Emily, working hard to care for her children was something she did not have to think twice about doing. Her children recognize her commitment for what it was – years of selfless sacrifice. Her youngest son, Malachi, recalls those early days out on their own for the first time. “We used to struggle and she used to work two jobs then come home and take care of us. And I didn’t have to worry about anything because she took care of everything and didn’t complain,” explained Malachi. “She didn’t tell us about what she went through or the bills and stuff she had to pay for. When she could have gave up, she didn’t. She kept fighting.” Today, Emily is a proud mother of three accomplished young adults who understand well the value of hard work and sacrifice. After briefly living with family, Emily moved her family into a SMHA (Stark Metropolitan Housing Authority) townhouse where they have lived for the past seven years. In 2015 she applied for a Section 8 voucher so she could move into a private rental home, but she did not get approved. Although SMHA is required to maintain the property, Emily has had some issues with the neighborhood, a lack of living space, and a few structural problems. Emily had a friend who purchased a Habitat home, so she decided also to apply and to see if she could finally own a place to call her very own. “She always thought about getting a house but couldn’t because she had three kids to take care of plus paying bills and saving up for other things,” explained Malachi. “It’s going to mean a lot because she worked for this and sacrificed for this every single day, every year.”
a bright futureSince joining the Habitat partnership, Emily has invested numerous hours of sweat equity at ReStore, on worksites, and in House2Home education classes. In fact, her favorite memories from the program, so far, are of learning to budget and fix things in her future home during the financial and maintenance classes. Emily acknowledges that the time and effort invested in Habitat can be overwhelming while she also works in the health care field and is a parent. However, Emily is committed to seeing this program through to the end and is specifically looks forward to the special memories she will make while building her home alongside her children. “It’s going to mean a lot to us, because it will be our first time owning a house,” said an emotional Emily. “I’m looking forward to a future together in our home.”
