The Volunteering Page of Christopher Wagner

family and current housing
Johnett Hickman’s road to homeownership has involved moving between various rentals and struggling to get a place where she can save enough money to purchase a home of her own. For the past three years, the Hickman family has lived in a private rental home with a Section 8 voucher to help offset the monthly rental payment. When Johnett received a raise at work, she was excited by the prospect of setting additional money aside each month in savings. However, as her income increased, the Section 8 voucher amount decreased and all extra income went into paying the higher rent figure. Although she understood how the system works, this was frustrating for Johnett. “I feel if I’m going to pay higher and higher rent, I’d rather pay a mortgage towards something I actually own.” In addition to her financial frustrations, the home itself has structural and maintenance problems – many of which Johnett has researched and fixed herself. Even after attempting to repair some plumbing issues in the home, her water bill continues to be exceptionally high, leading her to suspect there are larger plumbing issues. Heating the large, older home has also been a continual problem. The second floor is noticeably colder than the downstairs because several bedrooms are lacking heat registers. Overall, Johnett is ready to own a new, affordable place of her own. “I think a new home for this family is going to be great because knowing that even when I’m older, we’ll always have a family home. The home will be an asset for our whole family.” Speaking of family, the Hickman family is made complete by Johnett’s six beautiful children: Jay’leyn, G’Aunna, Gio’Vanni, Jay’mier, Gour’Nee, and Guliana.

a bright future
During her time in the Habitat program, Johnett will invest numerous hours of sweat equity hours at ReStore, on worksites, and in House2Home education classes learning valuable skills regarding homeownership, maintenance, and personal and financial wellness. She will also have the opportunity to help create the home she will one day purchase. In addition to completing sweat equity hours and raising her kids, Johnett works hard as an LPN to provide for her family financially. Soon, all her hard work will pay off and the Hickmans will have a home to call their own. "Thank you for picking me for this program,” Johnett said. “I know it’s not easy to volunteer your time and service, so my number one thing I would say is ‘Thank you from the Hickmans.’"