The Schmucker Family

Most people would agree that renting an apartment is often a great short-term solution. Why lay down roots if you’re not sure you’re going to stay? For Ida and her two daughters, however, roots are exactly what they want right now.

“It’s tight but we manage because it’s what we can afford. We have no issues with our landlord, but it’s just an old house and we’re tired of renting,” Ida said. You can tell from a mile away that Ida is not one to complain, and she has always made things work for her and her girls, but now she’s thinking ahead. “Our rental is a roof over our heads, but I’ve really started thinking long-term about homeownership,” she added.

For a single mom of two growing girls, her biggest concern for her family is having enough space in the future. “Our situation is frustrating. We just don’t have any space to do crafts, sew, cook together,” Ida explained. “There’s also no room for my daughters to have their own space to cool down. Our housing is really holding us back.”

Ida heard about a special loan program with USDA, but that route just didn’t feel right. “A friend told me about getting a house with a USDA loan. I tried, but the timeline was long and very uncertain,” Ida remembers. “I got cold feet, and that’s when someone told me about Habitat. I felt more confident with Habitat because there’s not long wait list,” she said.

Unfortunately, Habitat wasn’t accepting applications at that time, but Ida didn’t let that stop her. “Applications weren’t open yet, so I thought I might as well volunteer in the meantime. I started volunteering on a build site and had a great time,” she said.

A few months later, applications opened, and Ida was selected with the next round of partner families. “When I found out, I was elated!” Ida said. “I was driving when I received the call, and I knew I had to take it. I couldn’t wait to get home to tell the girls. They started jumping up and down and screaming!”

As an official partner family in the Homeownership Program, Ida can finally breathe easier about her family’s future. “The path forward in life became a lot clearer. It just gives me a lot of hope for the future because my girls will have their own room and can grow up to be adults,” Ida explained. “We’ve moved about eight times in the last ten years, always renting. I’m ready to have a stable home for my kids.”

Ida looks forward to laying down real roots both inside and outside her future home. “I have flowers that I have brought with us to every apartment, and I want to plant them outside our new home. I love flowers and love gardening, but never lived anywhere long enough for it to make sense,” she said. Like many other partner families, Ida is looking forward to the simple luxuries homeownership will bring. “I can finally have a dining table,” Ida pointed out. “There’s no room right now for a real table, so I’m looking forward to have a meal at a real table as a family.”

As she looks at her own journey and how she came to apply to Habitat, Ida is counting her blessings. She describes the idea of owning her own home as liberating. “The fact that we would own it really means a lot. I’m really thankful for Habitat for giving families like us a chance to become homeowners. It’s tough for a lot of people, and I feel really blessed to become a Habitat Partner Family.”