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Habitat fulfills dreams of mother, son with new house

Home sweet home

by Don Coble
Posted 12/9/20

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Ashley and her 3-year-old son put up their Christmas tree two days before Thanksgiving. Two days later, the single mother cooked her first turkey after inviting her parents to …

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Habitat fulfills dreams of mother, son with new house

Home sweet home


Posted

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Ashley and her 3-year-old son put up their Christmas tree two days before Thanksgiving. Two days later, the single mother cooked her first turkey after inviting her parents to her new house.

Make that, her new home.

Mom and son will celebrate Christmas in the first home Ashley’s ever owned. It’s the first time in her son’s life when he doesn’t have to wait for his turn for the bathroom or share a bedroom with her uncles.

“This home is so amazing,” Ashley said. “We had our first Thanksgiving here with my parents. I already have so many new, wonderful memories that started the moment we walked into this house.”

A place made possible by Habitat for Humanity.

The nonprofit that specializes in building or refurbishing existing homes for families in need of comfortable and affordable housing overhauled a house on Houston Street. In the process, Habitat turned it into a home for the young family.

The home includes three bedrooms and two full bathrooms. Community partners then worked to furnish the home and stock her refrigerator.

Ashley was required to make a reasonable down payment, donate at least 400 hours of “sweat equity” in the construction of their and other Habitat homes and show the ability to repay an affordable non-interest mortgage.

Another prerequisite was to prove the overwhelming need of better housing.

“My son didn’t know what it was like to have his own bedroom, his own space,” Ashley said. “He didn’t know what to do at first. He’s so used to being so close to mommy.”

After living with six others in a two-bedroom house, Ashley easily showed a need for her own place. She eagerly accepted the eligibility requirements.

“It is such an accomplishment, not something anybody can give to you,” said Habitat Executive Director Carolyn Edwards. “You earn it. The pride of ownership is an important part of that closing for me. I know, at least these people, are family. This mom and her son, the husband and wife and their two or three children, whatever their circumstance, they have a decent place to call a sanctuary.”

Ashley painted, hung siding and installed insulation. And now that she’s finally in her own home, she intends to still champion Habitat’s cause.

“Not only are you helping working on your home, but you help on other people’s houses. I’ve helped on different other homes,” Ashley said. “It’s amazing working through the process and going through the journey with other people as well as they get their homes. It’s a different experience. I’ve never bought a place. To be able to be together in a big family, working together toward the same goal for what we wanted to accomplish, it’s just a bigger blessing.

“I still want to keep going with it. I advocate a lot. I talk a lot to people about the program. I carry around cards and talk to everyone that will listen to me. It’s an amazing program.”

Habitat has completed 111 homes in Green Cove Springs, including four since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ashley said her life “changed” when she met with Habitat officials in January.

“Something told me to look into the Habitat program because I’ve heard about it. I never really knew a lot,” she said. “I decided to take a step to actually call them and get started looking into the program. I went to my first little information meeting in January, and that’s where it began. There were a lot of things I never really knew about until I went to that meeting.”

Although COVID prompted shutdowns and distancing two months after her initial meeting, construction was slowed, but not detoured, on Ashley’s home.

“You get a different feeling with something being built from the ground up, even though with my house it wasn’t brand new,” Ashley said. “Still, going through the process of redoing it, and what I was able to do before COVID it’s really amazing.”

Edwards said the need for decent and affordable housing won’t be affected by a virus.

“Could you imaging having to deal with COVID and you’re living in a house that’s either pest-infested or mold or the floors are crumbling and the walls are caving in? Some of our citizens live under horrific circumstances,” Edwards said. “I know that each time we get a Habitat homeowner to that closing table, we’ve done a great job of saving another family who deserve to have a decent place.”

And a place to finally call home.