The Manges Family

For Alexis and her son, two words have dominated their lives for the last three years: moving and mold.

“We’ve moved to three different apartments inside our complex over the last three years, and mold has been in every single one,” Alexis said. “It has affected everything. I even had to fight to keep my job in the past because of all the sick time I had to take.”

Between the constant moving, the mold in their walls and windows that don’t lock, Alexis and her son are simply worn out. For most of us, coming back home is where we escape our problems in the outside world, but for them, it’s the last place they want to be. It’s even starting to leave a lasting mark.

“My son has been in the hospital several times because of the mold. I thought he was showing early signs of autism, but it was actually a speech delay partially caused by the mold,” Alexis explained. “He was five months old when we moved into this apartment complex, so this is all he really knows. As a mom, I feel terrible that my son is sick all the time and there’s not much I can do about it,” she added.

With no real solution within reach, life became very frustrating for Alexis. Providentially, she noticed a Facebook post about the Habitat application. After reading about the Homeownership Program on Habitat’s website, she thought it was the perfect pathway out of her current housing situation. She applied, found out she qualified, passed the home visit, and then was selected to join the program.

“I thought, ‘No way, it can’t be me.’ I was really shocked. We’ve been going through so much these past three years, so it meant the world to me,” Alexis said.

Now, Alexis is looking forward to a place she and her son can call home without having to worry what’s behind the walls or outside the door. When asked what this future home would mean to her, tears immediately filled her eyes.

“For us, this home means safety. Stability. I can focus on keeping my job and building a better future for my son. I want to give him something I didn’t have as a child.”

And she really means that. Alexis was adopted at an early age by a family member, and she didn’t really know her biological parents. Things were tight growing up, but they always made the most of it. Now that she is in the Homeownership Program, everything is going to look very different for her and Khamaree very soon.

In their Habitat home, they will have both stability and safety. Alexis is looking forward to learning about the construction process, as well as finally getting to decorate a home after moving so often. She is also excited to finally keep plants in her home, because, as she explained slightly ironically, “they could just never handle the mold and humidity”.

In the end, one word came to mind as she thought about what a new home would mean: “Life-changing. I really didn’t think homeownership was going to be possible for people like us. I think this will really change the trajectory of our lives.”