Owning a home has been terrifying for Christina since at least 8 years, until she finally rented it.
“I wanted to stop being afraid and go for it, but I heard good things and bad things about owning a home,” she said while explaining. "I'm a single mother of three and thought it would be too much to handle."
Presently, she lives in a two-bedroom rented apartment with her children. Robert, 10, Iliad, 7 and Ilionna, 3.
Her neighbors play music really loudly and her apartment manager refuses to do repairs or takes a while to get things repaired. As for her children, they often want to go play outside on the lawn or sit safely on the porch "with no one around".
It was in this backdrop that one day, Christina found a flyer from the Joseph County Habitat for Humanity, Indiana. A colleague who was enrolled in the program invited her to apply. She did apply and was approved.
Her family is now about to move into a new house, a home that is being built as part of Habitat for Humanity's BuildBetter which has partnered with Whirlpool as part of an extension of Habitat's existing BuildBetter initiative.
Christina's new three-bedroom home now features a 95% efficient fireplace, high-efficiency gas water heater, hardwood floors, all LED lighting, WaterSense bathroom faucets and low-flow toilets, and energy-efficient windows. She has also received an energy-efficient refrigerator and stove which was donated by Whirlpool Corp.
Whirlpool does the same for every Habitat home in North America.
For Christina, owning a home means two things - independence and the ability to enjoy your child's life.
"Independence means I can do whatever I want," she says. “Now I can raise my children in something that belongs to us. We can go outside and do barbecue. They will have their own room. That's all they say."
Now that she has overcome her fears and has her own home, her next goal is to learn how to maintain it.
“I want to learn more about home care,” she says. "I want to be able to fix the little things around the house and not need anyone to fix it."
“I wanted to stop being afraid and go for it, but I heard good things and bad things about owning a home,” she said while explaining. "I'm a single mother of three and thought it would be too much to handle."
Presently, she lives in a two-bedroom rented apartment with her children. Robert, 10, Iliad, 7 and Ilionna, 3.
Her neighbors play music really loudly and her apartment manager refuses to do repairs or takes a while to get things repaired. As for her children, they often want to go play outside on the lawn or sit safely on the porch "with no one around".
It was in this backdrop that one day, Christina found a flyer from the Joseph County Habitat for Humanity, Indiana. A colleague who was enrolled in the program invited her to apply. She did apply and was approved.
Her family is now about to move into a new house, a home that is being built as part of Habitat for Humanity's BuildBetter which has partnered with Whirlpool as part of an extension of Habitat's existing BuildBetter initiative.
Christina's new three-bedroom home now features a 95% efficient fireplace, high-efficiency gas water heater, hardwood floors, all LED lighting, WaterSense bathroom faucets and low-flow toilets, and energy-efficient windows. She has also received an energy-efficient refrigerator and stove which was donated by Whirlpool Corp.
Whirlpool does the same for every Habitat home in North America.
For Christina, owning a home means two things - independence and the ability to enjoy your child's life.
"Independence means I can do whatever I want," she says. “Now I can raise my children in something that belongs to us. We can go outside and do barbecue. They will have their own room. That's all they say."
Now that she has overcome her fears and has her own home, her next goal is to learn how to maintain it.
“I want to learn more about home care,” she says. "I want to be able to fix the little things around the house and not need anyone to fix it."