The Volunteering Page of Lisa Raynow

family and current housing
Tracy and her daughter have lived in their current rental apartment for the past five years but are ready for homeownership. Their apartment is on the second floor of a building containing three other apartments, a beauty salon, novelty store, and auto body shop. As a result, there is heavy foot traffic around the entrance to her apartment and noise from customers and other residents. The parking lot out front has only a few parking spots, none of which are designated for the apartment tenants. Oftentimes Tracy has nowhere to park, is blocked in, or has had her vehicle damaged by someone upset at the lack of parking. Additional parking is located behind the body shop, but her apartment access is in the in front between the beauty salon and store entrances. She does not feel safe walking around the building after dark. The electric distribution board for the entire building is in Tracy’s unit, so anytime a fuse is blown, the landlord comes into her home to fix it. The apartment is also filled with a terrible odor whenever the body shop is painting cars. Tracy dreams of owning a home of her own with more space and a yard for her family to enjoy. After being denied for a conventional loan due to past credit issues, she applied and was accepted into the Habitat program. “I just want a home for my family to be able to come back to in times of need or if anything goes on in their lives,” explained Tracy. “They can say ‘this is my mother’s home’ and we have a home base. I’m looking forward to that in my life.” Tracy has two children: an adult son, Rudy, and a fifteen-year-old daughter, Skye. Skye is a freshman at Glen Oak who stays busy playing basketball, lacrosse, and clarinet in the marching band. She is especially proud of her mother for being accepted into the Habitat program and looks forward to moving into a home of their own. “She works so hard and I think she deserves this, so I’m very happy that she gets to have something she really likes and really wants.”

a bright future
During her months in the Habitat program, Tracy has invested numerous sweat equity hours at ReStore and in House2Home education classes where she learned valuable skills regarding homeownership, maintenance, and personal and financial wellness. Tracy looks forward to working alongside her children as they build and move into their new home. “Having a house will change my life dramatically,” said Tracy. “I am a little bit older and life is changing. I may come to the point where I need to be stable for my mother who is getting older, my children who are getting older, and hopefully grandchildren. It’s just wonderful to me the things I think about when I think about owning a home.” In addition to completing sweat equity hours and being a mother, Tracy works hard to provide for her family financially. She has been employed by a local medical practice for over twenty years. We asked Tracy to imagine the moment her hard work pays off and she uses her keys to enter her new home for the first time. “Hopefully I will be able to stand up because I have dreamt of that moment for a while,” joked Tracy. “Being able to own my own home and make payments on something that is going to be mine is mindboggling. I will be shouting and praising God for that moment!”