The Brito Family

Anyone who has experienced an Indiana winter knows how meaningful a warm, safe home can be. For Kristen and her two boys, that sense of security has been hard to find.

“Our trailer home was rundown, we didn’t have any heat, and the front electricity didn’t work.” Kristen and her two boys lived there for nearly three years. During the winters, “I had to put in extension cords in the kitchen, and that’s how I heated the back where the kid’s rooms were.” On top of that, the back door wouldn’t open, and the neighborhood never felt safe.

Around the holidays, Kristen was told their home was being sold by the owner, leaving the family only two weeks to relocate. “We had to move quickly,” she recalled. In that short time, they moved into a two-bedroom apartment that cost more and offered less space.

Kristen heard about Habitat through her sister, who has a Habitat home in Elkhart, and later learned more on our Facebook page about how to apply for the Homeownership Program.

“I always knew I wanted something better,” Kristen said. When she learned she had been accepted into the program, she could hardly believe it at first. But as the news sank in, she felt overwhelming joy and gratitude. “I was so happy—thank goodness!”

Kristen is eagerly looking ahead to her new home, where having space to grow means everything—especially as her boys grow older. “I am ready for them to finally have their own rooms and their own yard to play in,” she said.

Kristen is looking forward to walking into her own home for the first time and seeing her kids’ faces light up. Before unpacking or settling in, she plans to do something simple but meaningful: “I want to pray and bless the home.” She hopes the experience teaches her boys gratitude and perspective. “Not everyone gets this opportunity.”

For Kristen, this home represents more than just a place to live—it’s a fresh start, and a safe and stable space for her boys to grow.