Meet Our Homeowners
Please Welcome our New NRP Homeowners
Evelyn and her daughter Angie were staying with her parents and siblings in a two bedroom apartment. There wasn’t enough room for six people and everyone seemed to be uncomfortable, especially Angie who was badly bitten by the army of bed bugs that live in the couch she slept on with her mother. Four year old Angie was also terrified of the mice that wander through the apartment. The situation sadly didn’t improve much outside their apartment because the neighborhood where they lived is very dangerous. Evelyn couldn’t even take Angie to the park because all of the people who loitered there. Living with her parents was meant to be temporary, but Evelyn was been forced to move almost every year due to rising rents and expenses.
Evelyn was overjoyed and cried when she received notification of her opportunity to purchase a home from HFH-MC, “The fact that the home is affordable blows my mind. I couldn’t have purchased a home on my own.” All she could think of was that her daughter Angie would finally be able to have a room of her own. It has been a dream of Evelyn’s to own a home, and she wants her daughter to have a stable place to live. They now have a home where they can be happy and plant roots, “It’s such a blessing!” said Evelyn.
For the past three years, Fikerte stayed with family and friends moving from apartment to apartment. Fikerte, her infant son, and her mother lived in a two-bedroom apartment but they were only able to use one bedroom. The bedroom served as their living, sleeping, and eating space because Fikerte could not afford to rent an apartment for just the three of them. The apartment had severe maintenance issues ranging from poor heating and cooling to no hot water in the bathroom. Fikerte wanted to change many things about her living situation but most of all she wanted to live in an environment where she can safely raise her infant son.
Fikerte is so excited that she was selected to purchase a home that is safe and affordable, “Habitat fulfilled my dream of owning a home.” She knows that Habitat is dedicated to eliminating poverty housing and homelessness worldwide and Fikerte plans to help spread the word of hope and faith to others living in substandard conditions. Fikerte strongly believes in Habitat’s mission that every man, woman and child should have a decent, safe and affordable place to live, “Habitat builds with people in need regardless of race or religion.” For Fikerte and her family, “Purchasing a home is a major investment but most of all, it’s a dream come true.”
Suzanna and Mohammed were living in an overcrowded bug infested two bedroom apartment. The family had to resort to sleeping on the floor because of their battle with eliminating bedbugs. Mohammed slept on the couch while Suzanna and her 10 year old daughter shared one bedroom and their two sons shared the other bedroom.
Suzanna and Mohammed were very excited to have a home that has bedrooms and space for their family to live comfortably. They are excited to have somewhere that their children can invite friends over to, be comfortable, and not have to sleep on the floor.
Suzanna says this is a dream come true and she has never seen her husband so happy before!
Hidar and Selam lived in a two bedroom apartment with their three sons. The boys slept in one bedroom while Hidar and Selam slept in the other, but the lack of sleeping space was not the only problem with their apartment. Hidar and Selam paid nearly 50% of their monthly income on rent to live in a place with roach and rat infestations not to mention a persistent problem with mold in the bathroom. The living space in the already cramped apartment was reduced even more because the children were reluctant to play in some areas for fear of the roaches and rats.
On the day they were notified of their selection their van had just broken down and over-heated; but HFH-MC changed their day from bad to good. Hidar says his family was very excited that they were selected to purchase a home from HFH-MC, “I don’t have words for everything that [purchasing a home from HFH-MC] will do for my family.”
Tigist and Abebe live in a two-bedroom apartment with their three children. Even though they kept their apartment clean, they had roaches, mice and bed bug problems. Tigist and Abebe did not want their 15-month-old baby crawling around on the floor because of the roach and mice problem but it was hard to keep a baby from crawling. They were also concerned about their autistic son. He had share a room with his younger sister, but he now has his own room that will enable the other children to sleep through the night when he wakes up. Being selected to purchase a home from Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County MD meant they now have a clean home without the problems they faced.
The entire family was so excited and happy to hear they were selected as Habitat homebuyers. Their first grade-aged daughter tells everyone, “She prayed for a home and God answered her prayers.” Without Habitat, they would not be able to afford a home of their own.
Tadesse and Aynalem lived in a rundown two-bedroom apartment with their adult son Biruk who is permanently confined to a wheelchair. Some common and persistent problems included roach and mice infestations, leaky plumbing, water damage on walls and windows, and air conditioning that does not reliably work. Not only was the complex slow on maintenance requests in the units but common areas also needed attention. The elevator was frequently broken which caused Biruk to be trapped in the elevator alone, unable to call for help, for more than an hour.
Their apartment building is was ADA compliant and the management refused to make simple improvements. Tadesse had to build a wheelchair ramp himself because the management company repeatedly ignored his pleas. Biruk’s wheelchair barely fit through his bedroom door and his chair did not fit through the bathroom door so he was always in need of assistance.
HFH-MC is excited to partner with Tadesse, Aynalem, and Biruk because they need a home that is safe, simple, decent, affordable, and accessible. Biruk is excited about the freedom their new home will bring!
Woldeyohannes, Beletu and their two children shared a one bedroom apartment with severe maintenance issues. The apartment had significant mold and mildew which resulted in nearly constant health and medical issues for the family. Woldeyohannes’s allergies was so severe because of mold and mildew that he could not sleep in the bedroom so he and his wife selpt in the living room while the children were forced to sleep in the bedroom. The walls and ceilings had cracks and the apartment had infestations of rats, mice, and roaches. Not to mention the oven and air conditioning had been broken and unfixed for a number of months.
Woldeyohannes and Beletu are so happy they were approved to purchase a Habitat for Humanity home!
Anne, a single mother of two managed as a single parent for seven years always making things work for her boys. However, two years ago, Anne’s income entered the “gray area” and her family became homeless. Anne made too much money for the assistance she needed but not enough money to live and provide for her children in Montgomery County.
HFH-MC’s homeownership opportunity came along at exactly the right time for Anne and her sons. She was at the end of her two year time limit with a transitional living program and she needed to find something right away otherwise run the risk of again being homeless. According to Anne, purchasing a house renovated with HFH-MC’s Neighborhood Revitalization Program ensures that her family will have a safe, decent, and affordable home they can call their own.
Monica is a single Mother who works as a Human Resources Professional for the Federal Government. She resided in a one bedroom condominium with her two young sons. Wholly devoted to the time-honored pursuit of making her children’s lives as comfortable and enriched as possible, Monica will do just about anything for her two sons. Monica learned of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program when she happened upon the HFH-MC website, while searching for a shelter solution for a friend in another state who had been struggling through the country’s current economic crisis. As a testament to the old adage “you get what you give” Monica found a solution for her own living situation. While the opportunity to purchase a renovated home from HFH-MC will give Monica and her family the much needed space they desire an even greater advantage will be that Monica will gain the peace of mind of knowing that her money is being spent wisely to add to her lot in life.
Prior to entering the HFH-MC homeownership program, Seifu and his wife Fekerete were unsure how they would be able to move their four person family out of a one bedroom apartment. Mom, dad, their teenage daughter and young son all shared one bedroom. To make matters worse, their apartment was located in an extremely ill maintained apartment building with a history of trouble ranging from infestation and mildew issues, to water and gas leaks. Multiple calls to building maintenance did not fix these ongoing problems. A week before they were approved, their bathroom ceiling caved in, making it almost unusable. Seifu and his family are overjoyed that they were selected as HFH-MC homebuyers; they celebrated all night the day they heard the great news. The family now have a place to call home that is clean, safe, and livable. Not to mention the children are excited about having their own room to sleep and study in.
Until a couple months ago, Wolé and Nicole rented the top two floors of a three level townhome from an absentee landlord. Their two oldest children slept in one bedroom while Wolé, Nicole and their infant son slept in the other. In addition to the limited space, mold and dust problems often caused health problems for the children. Everywhere the family lived before they have always had to tell the kids “this isn't our house” and answer questions about when will they have their own home? Thankfully, they now have a place to call their own. The Habitat program was a perfect fit for their family because it is affordable. Wolé says, “We appreciate that it isn’t a handout, and we want to give something back.” The family was excited to purchase a Habitat home because they have never had a permanent home and now they can finally live together as a family in their own space. The children were most excited about having sleepovers but Wolé and Nicole were excited about other items, “We get to work on the house that we will live in, and the house is in the area where I grew up,” says Wolé.
Teklemariam and Mulu have three girls and one boy ranging in age from 16 to five years old. They lived in a very small three bedroom apartment with the three girls in one room, mom and dad in another, and their son in the third room. Since they had a basement apartment, the window air conditioning units sucked in dirt and debris from the ground outside. When it rained, the family prepared for a nearly constant stream of water that flowed into the kitchen and bathroom from the poor windows. During the home visit their youngest daughter said her bed was “icky” and did not like sleeping in it because of the bed bugs. Nearly everyone in the family has health issues as a result of their poor living situation. Even though their apartment was small and had bug problems, Teklemariam and Mulu were most concerned about the mental well being of their children. They want the children to grow up in a home where neighborhood youths do not hang outside their living room window drinking and smoking while making inappropriate comments. Purchasing a home from HFH-MC has given Teklemariam and Mulu’s family the opportunity to live in a home where everyone is safe, comfortable and healthy.
Kahsay and Aida lived in a two-bedroom apartment with their three young girls. There were many issues with their apartment but the primary concern had to do with Aida’s health because she has very bad asthma. Living in a place with dirty old carpet is bad enough, but the family was unable to control the thermostat so at times they were very hot while at other times they were too cold. The windows only open a few inches so even when it is nice outside, the air in the apartment was still old and stale. The family was very happy when they learned they were chosen to purchase a home from Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County. Kahsay and Aida were excited they were able to purchase an affordable house with a backyard and space for the children to play.
