When you ask Uneshia what she is most looking forward to about becoming a Habitat homebuyer, the answer is simple: stability for herself and her son.
Uneshia is a dedicated Pharmacy Technician who loves listening to music (which she vows will constantly be playing around her new house) and spending time with her son, Isaiah. Isaiah is a gentle second grader who loves playing games and is eager to make friends with his new neighbors.
Uneshia grew up on the Southside of Chicago, and reflects on her favorite memory of going to Six Flags with her family and hopes to take Isaiah one day. Her son is her strongest motivation, after all. According to Uneshia, “I am so determined to have a stable place for me and my child. I want to have somewhere that is ours, not living with someone else. We can’t wait to step foot into OUR home and have our own space.”
While Uneshia is nervous about opening up with everyone in her cohort and asking all of her questions about becoming a homeowner, she is truly excited about the learning process - the classroom time, getting out on site and helping build alongside volunteers to complete her house, and becoming a part of the Habitat family.
When asked what will change most in her life and what becoming a homeowner means to her, it’s clear, “Stability and happiness. My son and I will have stability and so much happiness.”
ABOUT OUR PROGRAM
Habitat Chicago partners with hard-working families who do not qualify for typical loans to become homeowners. Qualifying families meet three basic criteria:
1) demonstrate a need for decent housing (currently living in unsafe or overcrowded conditions or are severely rent-burdened).
2) are willing to partner in our program by completing 250-350 volunteer hours and attending our free homebuyer readiness training classes.
3) have the ability to purchase their home with an affordable mortgage.
Qualifying families enter the program as a cohort, designed to provide built-in support for navigating the process of homeownership as a first-time buyer. It can take 12-18 months to complete the program. At the end of the program, members of the cohorts become neighbors in one of our focus neighborhoods, living in healthy and sustainable homes built by themselves, volunteers, and Habitat construction staff.
