Alicia, a single mom and mental healthcare provider, applied to the Habitat Homeownership program following her experience as a crisis counselor during Hurricane Florence. In 2020, Alicia and her son found stability in a Cape Fear Habitat home after facing challenges in their apartment due to mold issues triggered by hurricanes. The accessible application process at Habitat empowered her to secure a home and improve financial management.

Alicia shares that she is, “Thankful and grateful for being able to participate in Habitat and for creating a home for us.” Her strong connection to friends, family, and faith guides her, stating, “My friends and family are very important to me. My faith is also important to me and giving back to the community. That is my passion. My faith, giving back, and being in the community.”

Alicia decided to apply after learning about Habitat, saying, “I just decided to apply. I had heard about it before, but I had never known how to apply or what the criteria was. Through the process of me learning about it to tell others, I was able to apply myself.”

For Alicia, an affordable mortgage means self-sufficiency, alleviating the burden of rising living costs and offering a forever home. “My son – he loves it. And we don’t have to be forced to keep moving every year. He gets to have a home and enjoy it, have his own room.” Her son now enjoys a stable environment for growth and learning, and she shares, “An affordable mortgage is being able to have a home, provide things within the home, and still have a quality of life outside of paying bills.”

Looking ahead, Alicia envisions a future of empowerment and education, stating, “For our future, I am able to learn and know things so I can prepare my son to have an affordable home early on in life. I am getting all these tools to prepare myself and my son. I’m able to give back and teach others, I really enjoy it. It’s been a great experience.”