Habitat for Humanity homeowner, Chantelle, is a single mother of three young girls, and an essential worker at Lee Memorial Hospital. Recently, Habitat for Humanity caught up with Chantelle to learn how her family is handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chantelle and her girls celebrate at their home dedication ceremony.
HFH: As an essential worker at Lee Memorial Hospital, how has your life been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic?
Chantelle: I work on the orthopedic floor, and with the elective surgeries being canceled, our floor changed drastically. We started receiving the rollout patients, which are people who were sick but had tested negative for COVID-19. At first, it was different and kinda scary, but we did what we had to do.
HFH: How are your girls doing being home from school? Have you found yourself helping them with homework?
Chantelle: It’s funny cause when they were in school they were always complaining like, “ugh I don’t want to go to school,” but now they really miss it. The online classes have been going well, and my girls have been doing good. I check in with their teachers, and I’ve actually seen an improvement in my oldest daughter’s grades. Her grades hadn’t been the best, but now she’s making A’s and B’s. I feel like with them being home, they can focus, and I’m on them more—so I’m happy about that.
HFH: Last September, you purchased your Habitat home. Has owning a home helped you manage the challenges associated with COVID-19?
Chantelle: Well, if we still had the apartment and they were home from school—they would be really bored! Having a home and a yard for them to play in has been great. They play lots of different outside games, and they wouldn’t be able to do that at the old apartment. I mean, we didn’t even have a water hose! But the space in our new home lets them be creative and have fun.
HFH: Well, we are beyond proud to have you as a Habitat homeowner, and thank you for your service to our community.
Chantelle: Thank you. I am forever grateful to Habitat.
