The Volunteering Page of Erin Scroggs

Family and Current Housing
MiKaila can’t wait to finally be able to go outside and play with her kids in their own yard.
At the townhouse where MiKaila and her daughter and son live now, that’s not an option – they drive somewhere else that’s safer. MiKaila’s rental property is in a neighborhood
that recently has experienced some violent crime, and the family’s car has been broken into multiple times, leaving MiKaila worried. Inside the family’s townhouse, ongoing issues with plumbing, such as leaking and flooding toilets, have caused water damage. Adding to the problems with the rental property is the fact that MiKaila’s rent is income-based. Depending on the income she brings in each month as an essential worker, her rent sometimes fluctuates by hundreds of dollars, which makes planning ahead challenging.
MiKaila watched several of her former neighbors build homes with Habitat and decided to apply in hopes of providing her children with a safer and more comfortable home environment. The family doesn’t sleep much at night now, MiKaila said, and she is eager to give them the stability they need by investing in a decent, affordable place to call home.
“This is something that I’ve always wanted to do for them,” she said.

A Bright Future
Since joining the Habitat partnership, MiKaila has participated in Habitat’s comprehensive education program in preparation of becoming a first-time homeowner. The classes include lessons about financial success and hands-on home maintenance courses, which MiKaila said have made her feel empowered to take care of her home for years to come.
When MiKaila thinks about her family’s life in their new Habitat home, she’s excited to paint the walls the colors they like and decorate how she wants to. She pictures cookingmeals together and being able to open the windows to let the fresh air in.
It’s important to MiKaila to establish a legacy she can leave behind for her children. She knows that building a Habitat home that she eventually can pass down to them will be part of that legacy, and she also dreams of creating a trust fund for them.
“That’s just one of my big goals in life is to set my kids up for greatness,” MiKaila said. “That’s what I want to do.”