“My house will be my safe place. My house will be my comfort place.”
While raising 3 children, Catherine has worked as a Medical Assistant for 6 years, and is now building her forever home. “Habitat for Humanity is a blessing for helping families like mine accomplish something they may have never been able to do on their own…it makes you have a different outlook on life.”
Her 15-year-old son, Deonte, is interested in building computers, drawing, and animation. Her 12-year-old son, Dontrell, loves playing football and cooking. Both boys help their mom when it comes to helping around the house, and caring for her youngest son, Amir. “We love to have family time. I am building because I want my kids to have a stable home they can come home to every day.”
The family of four lives in a small two-bedroom apartment, where no one has personal space. “Living with boys can be very challenging; especially in a small two-bedroom apartment where your boys have to share a room. They both have completely different personalities, and not having enough room to move around or having your own space is stressful and overwhelming. When the boys do not want to be bothered, there is nowhere to go because the apartment is so small. I have to share a room with my seven month-old, and have very limited space for his toys and clothes.”
When Catherine was accepted into the Habitat program, she described it as being “an overwhelming feeling that’s unexplainable.” She said, “The look on my kid’s faces when I told them they will finally have their own rooms was priceless. To finally have a place to call home is a dream come true.”
“I will be able to come home every day and say this is mine. I will be the second person in my family to own my house; something I can pass down to my kids. I can make changes to my house without having to ask permission, which is such a great feeling.”
