Nicole R. and her three young children have much to be thankful for this holiday season. Recently, she closed on a loan for the family’s first home after successfully completing Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis’ Homeownership Program.
Nicole (Habitat for Humanity asked that we not use her last name) said she “claimed” her house long ago and that being a homeowner was always in the plan. She described a feeling of accomplishment when the keys were finally placed in her hands.
“Oh, my God I made it!” she exclaimed. “It was a long process, and actually getting the keys was proof that I made it to the end.”
Avis McHugh, director of family services at Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis, said there’s a widespread public misconception that Habitat for Humanity simply “gives” homes away to families. That is not the case, McHugh said.
Through partnerships with several local banks, Habitat for Humanity builds and sells homes to low-to-moderate income individuals and families. Most applicants are first-generation homeowners.
“They are making monthly mortgage payments,” McHugh said. “They actually go to a title company and close on their house, just like us.”
Habitat for Humanity partners with Saint Louis University’s Law Clinic, which helps applicants with sales contracts and other closing legal documents.
“Unless you have gone to law school, a lot of those documents are foreign,” McHugh said.
Nicole was a renter who once lived in substandard housing and was forced to move on several occasions due to negligent actions by her previous landlords.
“I feel like my children deserve better than that,” Nicole said.
Being a homeowner, she said, is an investment in her family’s future and not someone else’s property. Her children are overjoyed to have a permanent place to call home.
“They’re like, ‘This is my room,’” she said of her children.
Her first attempt at becoming a homeowner stalled when she failed to meet program guidelines. She had minor delinquent accounts on her credit report, and her gross income was less than the required amount for a family of four, which is $22,550. A co-worker who was also going through the program persuaded her to give it another try.
She persevered through three phases of the application process that included a home visit; volunteering 350 hours to help build her own home; attending classes and workshops on topics like finance, budgeting, and parenting; and a homeownership clinic.
Home visits, McHugh said, are opportunities for Habitat for Humanity’s Family Selection Committee to meet applicants in person and get to know them on a personal level. McHugh conducted Nicole’s home visit. Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis CEO Kimberly McKinney has also met Nicole and spoke fondly of her.
“Like most of our homeowners, she showed up at the closing table full of enthusiasm and energy,” McKinney said.
Although gratifying in the end, Nicole said, the application process was a bit “overwhelming,” considering her mound of other responsibilities. Besides taking care of her three children, she works full-time as a teacher’s assistant at Lemay Child and Family Center. She also is studying full-time at St. Louis Community College-Forest Park where she is majoring in early childhood education.
Applicants can choose where they want to live. Habitat for Humanity has built homes throughout St. Louis city and county. Neighborhoods include: Mark Twain, JeffVanderLou, Walnut Park, Old North St. Louis, The Ville, College Hill, Hamilton Heights, Forest Park Southeast, Hillsdale, Florissant, Wellston and Meacham Park. Habitat for Humanity also sells foreclosed homes that the organization has rehabbed.
Nicole chose to build her four-bedroom home in South St. Louis’ Carondelet neighborhood, Habitat for Humanity’s latest site. She also helped with the construction of homes for other first-time homebuyers.
“I help put up the roof, the walls, the siding of my house,” she said. “Sometimes I just sit back shed a few tears and say, ‘God has blessed me with this.’”
For more information about Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis’ Homeownership Program, visit www.habitatstl.org or call 314-371-0400.
