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This is a great honor to finally call a house a home." |
Meet Betty and her daughter Emma. Betty and Emma have lived in Tipton for two years and are excited that they will be able to put down roots and live as permanent residents in a community. Betty works as a Medical Assistant at the UIHC in Iowa City. Emma is 16 years old and attends Tipton High School. Betty also has a son named David who is 23 years old and lives in Illinois and serves as a member of the US Marine Corps. In September of 2018, students from the Industrial Technology program at the Tipton High School, led by instructor, Mike Wehde, began building alongside Betty and Emma. Now that this mother-daughter duo has been approved for the Habitat Homeownership program and they can drive by the lot on which their future home will be completed, they are anticipating new experiences and positive changes to their current living situation.
Since she was born, Emma has moved with her mother eight different times from one small property to the next which included apartments and mobile homes. The lack of space and frequent moves have always made them feel their housing is “just a roof over head”, never truly feeling like “home”. The family lives in a mobile home where most of their belongings are packed away in boxes due to lack of any storage space. With little to no room for cabinets, cupboards and dressers, their home always feels cluttered because nothing is ever “put away”. Framed photos and keepsakes that hold sentimental value for Betty and Emma are on display inside a couple of hutches in their home; Betty explains these are the only belongings that they have taken with them as they have moved over the years.
Along with never feeling fully settled in their housing, Betty and Emma have never felt fully settled in a community. Living in Tipton for 2 years, they have started to make friends, especially through school and their faith community at United Methodist in Tipton. Betty considers what life will be like after moving into her Habitat home and says, “[I]nstead of spending so much time fixing things at home, we can be more involved in the community. I can help others build their homes”. Betty and Emma see possibilities to further entrench themselves into the small community because they will have a home in which they will be proud to host friends. Emma excitedly discusses features of the “new” house: space for sleepovers, a big enough kitchen and an actual dining area in which to bake and enjoy meals like lasagna and sweet treats like cookies, supremely insulated walls that will allow her to practice instruments and play music without the fear of disturbing neighbors. She adds that she would be proud extending invitations to friends and directing them to “…look for the nice blue house!”.
Homeownership will provide Betty and Emma more than just a roof overhead, it will provide stability and improvements in their health and safety. Their mobile home has mold, likely due to deficient insulation throughout the house. They have no central air, so they try to overcome the heat with one window A/C unit and fans. In the winter, cold air easily infiltrates the inadequately insulated home and they will often see frost appearing on and around their windows and doors and they have also experienced their pipes freezing on several occasions. Betty and Emma have constant concerns because the mobile home exposes them to extreme weather conditions like wind and hail storms and tornadoes. Betty expresses that one of her biggest fears is that their current home could easily be destroyed in a storm or due to a fire with the lack of updated electrical features in the home. All of the safety and health concerns Betty and Emma have will be completely eliminated once they move and begin to purchase their new Habitat home with an affordable mortgage. Another added relief for Betty is that she can age safely in the new Habitat home as it will be fully accessible and meet ADA requirements and standards.
Perhaps the most joyful part of moving into the Tipton Build home for Betty and Emma is that they can fully enjoy their passions of faith, music and art. Emma is in Band and Choir along with performing in school plays and musicals. She plays the trumpet, mellophone, French horn and saxophone. Betty also has a passion for music and plays many instruments; she hopes to purchase a clarinet soon so she can participate in the Community Band in Tipton. Betty and Emma have never felt that they could freely play their music in their mobile home because the walls are very thin and they fear disturbing their neighbors. Mom and daughter also share a love for art including painting, drawing and arts and crafts. Emma took on the task of painting a beautiful tree on a wall in the Habitat for Humanity office where pictures of our Habitat homeowners and their families are placed. Her love of art has inspired her to pursue education after she graduates so she can become an Art Teacher. Emma and her mother are active members at their church and Emma plans to host a Bible study group out of their new Habitat home.
Betty and Emma have fully engaged in the Homeownership program by regularly attending Habitat events, volunteering with the affiliate, and attending 10 monthly financial education and home maintenance courses hosted by IVHFH. Adults in the Homeownership program are required to attend the classes and volunteer for 250 hours with our organization. They both have attended all Homeowner Education classes. While she is not required to do the sweat equity or attend classes, Emma has pledged to fulfill the same requirements as any adult Habitat home buyer. Just a couple of weeks ago, the family drove by the construction site and Emma began to cry (happy tears) when she saw the backhoe which had been brought in to prepare the ground for the foundation to be poured. Emma says, “This is a great honor to finally call a house a home”. Betty adds, “Habitat has given us an opportunity to dream and more secure ground while we are still on earth."
Since she was born, Emma has moved with her mother eight different times from one small property to the next which included apartments and mobile homes. The lack of space and frequent moves have always made them feel their housing is “just a roof over head”, never truly feeling like “home”. The family lives in a mobile home where most of their belongings are packed away in boxes due to lack of any storage space. With little to no room for cabinets, cupboards and dressers, their home always feels cluttered because nothing is ever “put away”. Framed photos and keepsakes that hold sentimental value for Betty and Emma are on display inside a couple of hutches in their home; Betty explains these are the only belongings that they have taken with them as they have moved over the years.
Along with never feeling fully settled in their housing, Betty and Emma have never felt fully settled in a community. Living in Tipton for 2 years, they have started to make friends, especially through school and their faith community at United Methodist in Tipton. Betty considers what life will be like after moving into her Habitat home and says, “[I]nstead of spending so much time fixing things at home, we can be more involved in the community. I can help others build their homes”. Betty and Emma see possibilities to further entrench themselves into the small community because they will have a home in which they will be proud to host friends. Emma excitedly discusses features of the “new” house: space for sleepovers, a big enough kitchen and an actual dining area in which to bake and enjoy meals like lasagna and sweet treats like cookies, supremely insulated walls that will allow her to practice instruments and play music without the fear of disturbing neighbors. She adds that she would be proud extending invitations to friends and directing them to “…look for the nice blue house!”.
Homeownership will provide Betty and Emma more than just a roof overhead, it will provide stability and improvements in their health and safety. Their mobile home has mold, likely due to deficient insulation throughout the house. They have no central air, so they try to overcome the heat with one window A/C unit and fans. In the winter, cold air easily infiltrates the inadequately insulated home and they will often see frost appearing on and around their windows and doors and they have also experienced their pipes freezing on several occasions. Betty and Emma have constant concerns because the mobile home exposes them to extreme weather conditions like wind and hail storms and tornadoes. Betty expresses that one of her biggest fears is that their current home could easily be destroyed in a storm or due to a fire with the lack of updated electrical features in the home. All of the safety and health concerns Betty and Emma have will be completely eliminated once they move and begin to purchase their new Habitat home with an affordable mortgage. Another added relief for Betty is that she can age safely in the new Habitat home as it will be fully accessible and meet ADA requirements and standards.
Perhaps the most joyful part of moving into the Tipton Build home for Betty and Emma is that they can fully enjoy their passions of faith, music and art. Emma is in Band and Choir along with performing in school plays and musicals. She plays the trumpet, mellophone, French horn and saxophone. Betty also has a passion for music and plays many instruments; she hopes to purchase a clarinet soon so she can participate in the Community Band in Tipton. Betty and Emma have never felt that they could freely play their music in their mobile home because the walls are very thin and they fear disturbing their neighbors. Mom and daughter also share a love for art including painting, drawing and arts and crafts. Emma took on the task of painting a beautiful tree on a wall in the Habitat for Humanity office where pictures of our Habitat homeowners and their families are placed. Her love of art has inspired her to pursue education after she graduates so she can become an Art Teacher. Emma and her mother are active members at their church and Emma plans to host a Bible study group out of their new Habitat home.
Betty and Emma have fully engaged in the Homeownership program by regularly attending Habitat events, volunteering with the affiliate, and attending 10 monthly financial education and home maintenance courses hosted by IVHFH. Adults in the Homeownership program are required to attend the classes and volunteer for 250 hours with our organization. They both have attended all Homeowner Education classes. While she is not required to do the sweat equity or attend classes, Emma has pledged to fulfill the same requirements as any adult Habitat home buyer. Just a couple of weeks ago, the family drove by the construction site and Emma began to cry (happy tears) when she saw the backhoe which had been brought in to prepare the ground for the foundation to be poured. Emma says, “This is a great honor to finally call a house a home”. Betty adds, “Habitat has given us an opportunity to dream and more secure ground while we are still on earth."
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