Teresa Teresa said, "I prayed to God for a really warm bedroom and he answered my prayers."  Before living in her Habitat home, Teresa had a leaky and cold bedroom.  She would wear a turtleneck, socks and sweatshirts to bed and still be cold.  (March 2002)

Sherrelle Sherrelle said, " Becoming a homeowner is one of the most rewarding goals a person can accomplish. Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity helps dreams come true. My daughter and I are very pleased with our new home and we plan to continue to support MHFH and its mission."  (April 2003)

Bill and Julia Bill and Julia agree, "This is a quiet and peaceful neighborhood now.  It used to be rough until they cleaned up the area.  Now everybody watches over each other."   Julia currently serves as SAPAR (School Age Parent Advocate Representative) at Lady Pitts, a school for expectant teens.  As their advocate, she tries to find ways to keep them in school, seeks medical and clothing assistance for them and serves as a mediator with their parents.  "Over the last ten years, Bill and I have taken 10 to 12 teen moms and their babies into our home," Julia said.  "Most of them still keep in touch.  They come by to show me their kids and sometimes just to talk."  (January 2003)

Roy and Gail "Habitat has put hope into the neighborhood and has turned it around," said Roy and Gail. "The prostitution has stopped, three drug houses have been closed up, new reliable lighting has been added to the alley, and the abandoned cars and garbage have been removed." (June 2002)

Michael and Rebecca Michael and Rebecca have three children.  The Jacksons have been living in a situation where they have been paying their rent, but the homeowner has not been paying the mortgage. The house has gone through foreclosure, and the family could be asked to vacate the property at any time. Rebecca said, "It has always been a dream of mine to own my own home." (May 2003)

Amy Amy has three children.  Amy explained, "I want to participate in Habitat for Humanity's ministry because I want very much, desperately, to give my children a home of their own, and I don't see any other way I can afford it. I want my kids to finish growing up in their own home, so they can do things they can't while we're renters ... like paint and decorate their own rooms, have a swingset in the backyard and have a pet or two. I would also like for them to know that they won't ever have to move again, so they can make lasting friendships, and know that when they are ready to leave someday, this home will always be there for them to come back to."  (May 2003)

Tina Tina feels like she has come a long way from where she started.  She had heard about Habitat for Humanity 4 or 5 years ago but was afraid of taking the step, of risking what she already had.  What she had were 4 boys to care for, two of her own and two nephews who she agreed to raise as her own.  "It’s a lot of responsibility raising four boys on your own.  Back then I didn't think I was ready to take on anymore," Tina said a single mother.  "Then the Habitat story came up again and I felt like this time it was God telling me something ... like it was something I should be doing."   Tina and her boys (Troy 14 and Tyree 8 along with nephews Alajuwon 9 and Antraun 8) currently live in a 2-bedroom public housing unit.  Tina has lived there for the past 8 years.  "I just cried so much when I got accepted into the program.  For once in my life I can give the boys a home of their own," added Tina.

Evonie Evonie is a single mom with one 5 year-old daughter, Tianna.  She stated, "I would love to be able to give my daughter something that I never had when I was growing up, and that's our own home." At the time of her application, Evonie and Tianna were living with Evonie's sister because her apartment had been broken into and everything she owned had been stolen.

Heidi While Heidi has a monthly gross income that may be higher than some other Habitat homeowners, she also has unusually large child care expenses.  Heidi is the single mother of two children.  Her daughter Savanna was born with Down's Syndrome and has delayed mental and physical development.  Currently the family lives in one bedroom in an old home, built in the early 1900s which creates a more complicated breathing environment for her daughter because it has an old oil heating system.  The heating ducts throughout cannot be aired out and contain years of build up in them.  This presents an additional health risk for Savanna because she already suffers from respiratory problems on top of her chronic congestion and she has developed pneumonia several times.  The bedroom windows are also coated with lead based paint.

Barbara Because of rental increase issues, Barbara and her family found themselves without housing.  The family was forced to separate, each family member going to live with other relatives.  "Being apart for 3 months was really hard for us," said Barbara.    In December 2004, Barbara and her three children ages 12, 15 and 16 moved into their Habitat house in time for the holidays.  "My kids didn't expect any presents other than our house for Christmas," explained Barbara.  "Having to work on the house made us appreciate it all the more.  It was the greatest Christmas gift of all!"

Maria Maria is a single mom with 4 children ages 14, 13, 11 and 4.   She works in a southside beauty salon to support her family.  The amazing thing about Maria's story is that she speaks very little English ... and, unfortunately, we folks at Habitat speak very little Spanish.  In spite of this language barrier, with the help of an occasional volunteer translator, we worked side-by-side to build a home with her family. Words were not needed to convey how Maria felt when she moved in.  The smile on her face and the tears in her eyes said it all.  For the first time, she and her children could have pride in their dwelling and, with it, pride in themselves.  Now, having completed her 500  "sweat equity" hours, Maria has offered to help other Habitat homesteaders earn theirs.

Alethea Alethea has been employed as a Paraprofessional for the Milwaukee Public Schools for the past four years.  "I really believe in Habitat's mission to help families help themselves develop a sense of pride in ownership.  Since my studies in Community Education at UWM, I have learned to gain appreciation for the huge gains a community can make with a little help from a community that cares.  I've learned that we are responsible for ourselves as well as our neighbors.  I have a great sense of community spirit.  I love people and I want to help my friends, myself and my son to live responsibly within our community.  I love knowing I can make a positive difference in other's lives.  Thank you for this opportunity!"

Victoria Hard work is nothing new to Victoria, who is mom to 8 children, two of whom she adopted as teenagers and one she is caring for as a foster mother.  Victoria's dream is to have a house big enough not only for her and her own children, but also for other kids who, as Victoria puts it, "are in need of a little love, who need a family."  The family is also excited about assisting other Habitat homeowners in building their houses.  Victoria says that she and her children look forward to "helping people help each other and giving a loving hand."

Demetrios and Krissti Krissti and Demetrios have two boys, David and Joshua (and one on the way).  Krissti's father was a carpenter, so she is no stranger to the building process and neither is Demetrios.  However, since Krissti is employed and also cares for the kids, and Demetrios works at an area hospital, teaches and serve as a Christian minister, completing the required 500 "sweat equity" hours working on their home and the houses of other Habitat homeowners is a big commitment for this couple.  But they are excited to have the opportunity to partner with Habitat to help build their own home from the ground up, and area happy to be a part of the revitalization of their Milwaukee neighborhood.

Esther Esther and Jasmine joined our Milwaukee Habitat family this year.  "Living in our Habitat home means a great deal to us," said Esther.  "We have been blessed repeatedly with the presence of wonderful and generous people.  I feel like we have a whole new family.  Our home is a labor of love.  We are very grateful to all involved in the creation of our home."  (2004)

Kristal Kristal and her 12-year old son Domonick face a much more challenging road than most of us.  Kristal told us, "It is a difficult job in raising children, especially if you are a single parent.  Well, try adding one more item to the plate ... raising a child with a disability.  My son is autistic and I believe that his autism has made me a stronger person.  It makes me have to work a little harder to achieve goals."   Kristal faces huge expenses in caring for her son.  Domonick requires routine and stability.  He can never be left alone, therefore day care services and sitters will always be needed.  Summer programs are quite costly and no additional financial assistance comes from any other source.

Phoebe Phoebe has watched Habitat ads on TV for years.  She remembers seeing Jimmy Carter talk about it.  She always thought it would be great to have a new home that she helped build, and to see all those smiling faces together helping one another.  She wanted to be a part of that – helping someone else.   Phoebe’s parents were sharecroppers in Mississippi before they came to Milwaukee.  They depended on their nine children to help with reading and corresponding.  Being the youngest in the family, Phoebe also took on the responsibility of caring for her parents in their declining years.  She thanks God that she was there for her mom and dad.  Since 2000, Phoebe has been a medical records clerk for St. Mary’s Hospital at the Northpoint Clinic.  She has been taking care of someone else her whole life.

Cleo Cleopatra wants to establish a sense of stability within her family.  She wants her son and daughter to understand the importance of homeownership and the benefits of owning over renting.   She has experienced an abundance of financial woes throughout her life, but has never given up her dream of being a homeowner.  Her partnership with Habitat through the Home Builders Blitz will help her fulfill this life-long desire.

Carolyn Carolyn has lived on North 28th Street for the past 12 years.  During this time, she has watched Habitat homes being built all around her.  She has always wanted to be a homeowner, and has already been going through many of the motions of being a homeowner by taking care of her landlord’s property, inside and out, like it was her own.  Owning a home would be a dream come true for Carolyn.  She is hard-working and very dedicated to anything she does.  She loves working on the Habitat houses, and is perfecting the skills that will make her a successful homeowner.

Renee Renee` just got a new job and is a student at MATC, where she is majoring in banking and finance.  She currently has a grade-point average of 3.75, and was very proud when she made the National Dean’s List her first quarter.  This achievement opened her eyes to what she wanted her life to be like.  A Habitat house will mean independence for her and her son.  They would have their own place – a place that they could truly call “home.”  Renee` wants to continue volunteering at Habitat even after her house is done.

Shenita Shenita wants to buy a house so that her boys can have a room of their own.  Shenita really wants to be a homeonwer and feels that her family can contribute to the neighborhood by helping to take care of some of its needs, such as cutting the grass and shoveling the snow.  Shw wants to show her sons a good example --- herself.

Jo Jo would like to partner with Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity because she knows it is a great way to build up the central city, and to help families fulfill their dream of home ownership.  Jo and her four boys are currently living with her mom, and have been doing so for several years.  Since her sons are getting much older, they need more space and privacy.

Quiana Quiana is a single parent with two sons.  She spends a lot of time at Habitat doing her sweat equity hours, which has been very difficult since she developed a blood clot in her lung after giving birth to her youngest son.   Quiana’s rent is currently very expensive, and she became interested in Habitat because the homes are affordable.  She is very interested in becoming a homeowner, and in becoming part of a new and upcoming community.  Even though she has concerns for her future neighborhood, she feels that all of the Habitat houses there will make a substantial, positive difference.

Sophia Sophia is participating in the Habitat program because she would like to see better neighborhoods built in her community.  She knows that she will take pride in and care for her property.  She feels that Habitat is a great way to help people improve their standard of living, by realizing it through owning their own home.  She also appreciates that Habitat helps people who may not be eligible for a more conventional home loan.

Cammeille Cammeille wants a Habitat home because she believes it is important for her children to have a stable environment in which they can prosper.  Not only does she want an investment that will appreciate over time and add to her net worth, but perhaps even more importantly, she would like something major of her own that she can be proud of.  She and her family hope to support their new neighborhood by doing community projects and clean-up efforts, supporting area businesses, and establishing relationships with political representatives.

Keith Keith is a single father raising two daughters, Brittnie and Lydia.  He has worked very hard to properly provide for them and is doing the best that he can to raise them.  Building a home of their own has been his family’s goal, and it will now soon be a dream come true.  Keith is very talented and has a lot of experience in doing home improvements.    Keith wants to provide a place where his girls can have a yard to play in and be safe, without some of the incidents or harm that can happen by playing in the streets.

Adriane As a proud Habitat homeowner, Adriane decided that she wanted to do something to improve and give back to her neighborhood.  In 2003, Adriane enrolled in a school for resident leaders.  She came up with an idea to start a community outdoor tool lending service.   She wrote a grant and in August of 2004 received the grant money to buy lawn and gardening equipment.  Adriane built a shed in her back yard and purchased a lawn mower, snow blower, edger, weed wacker, fertilizer spreader, pruning shears, hedge clippers, electric hedge trimmer and a garden claw.  For a small fee, Adriane will rent the equipment to Habitat homeowners, as well as other residents in the neighborhood.  Habitat homeowners continue to show their commitment to the neighborhood by working to improve the environment.

Beverly "Before Habitat, I didn't know how to paint a room properly or how to insulate the basement.  I've been taught a lot about housing in the process. These are all skills I'll be able to use again," said Beverly.  Beverly's youngest son, Cameron age 7, wants to have a "Fantastic Four" theme in his bedroom, while son Courtney age 13 is opting for the army camouflage look.  Both boys agree they want to get a dog in the near future.  "We love going to movies together and we take turns picking places for family dinners," Beverly told us.  "We’re very family oriented."

Gloria and Bashamba Gloria and Bashamba have 3 children …  two sons, Dakarai 7 years old and Kayin 6, and a daughter Amaris 2.  Bashamba works full-time as a mechanic at Stark Candies and goes to school for electrical engineering at ITT.  Gloria is taking History at UW-Milwaukee and hopes to teach high school one day.  While that would be a lot for any family to handle, Gloria and Bashamba's son Dakarai was born with  Broncho-pulmonary Dysplasia, a chronic lung disease that created 2 million dollars in medical bills the first year of his life.  Dakarai is also totally deaf which was caused by meningitis he contracted in the hospital and also suffers from mitral valve prolapse.  He spends much of his day in a wheel chair.  Gloria grew up in her father's house and knew that when times got bad, she always had a place to come home to.  "I want that for my kids.  I don’t want to raise my kids in poverty," said Gloria.  "And Dakarai needs his own room because he gets sick all the time."

Evita Evita knows what hard work means.  She has worked full-time at North Milwaukee State Bank as an Operations Team Lead for the past two years while attending school to become a funeral director.  If that wasn’t enough to keep her busy, she is currently working on her 500 “sweat equity hours” in order to become a Habitat homeowner and raising Jade who has Hirschsprung’s Disease, a congenital disorder of the colon. Jade is 3 years old now and loves going to the park and to Chuck E. Cheese’s.  She also loves reading to her Mom.  Like all moms, Evita wants the best for her daughter.  She wants to be able to provide a healthy and safe environment in which Jade can grow and prosper.  She wants to be a good example to her, reminding her to think also of others in their community.