“Our home will be a place where love lives and where God will always lead us each day.”

Richard and Troi Rimpson believe that faith will guide you through the best days and your darkest moments. They also believe faith is why they are in the Habitat homeownership program. Richard is an army veteran who works as a GoPuff delivery driver. They have a son, Xzavyr (21) who is interested in computers and animation.

The Rimpsons are living in a crammed space. “We have no room to unpack all of our art stuff or have a place for really anything we own,” said Richard. “We also do not live in a great area but we have no choice right now.” Richard sand Troi are humble people who are determined to work for their success. That is why Habitat and its homeownership program made so much sense for this family – it is all about working hard and being given a hand up and not a hand out. “We knew this was not a free program and that you would have a mortgage at the end,” said Richard. “If you truly want to own a home and take pride in it, you are willing to pay and not have it just handed to you. Nothing worth having is free.”

When the Rimpsons were accepted into the Habitat program, there was an instant sense of relief. “We were so grateful and humbled by the moment,” said Richard. He and Troi were presented with their acceptance certificate by Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicking legend Martin Gramatica. His organization, the Gramatica Family Foundation, donated the land where the Rimpson Home will one day stand.

“We are so excited to work hard and build our home. I can finally get a good night’s sleep because I know my family is safe,” said Richard.

The Rimpson Family encourages the community to donate to Habitat and help families like them achieve the dream of affordable homeownership.