High school graduate David with his mother, Habitat Homeowner Christie, and high school graduate Jaden, the son of Habitat homeowner Stefanie.
At Habitat for Humanity, we know that homeownership creates lasting impacts. In the United States, stable housing is linked to greater financial security, access to education, and better overall health. Children of low-income homeowners are 11% more likely to graduate from high school and are 4.5% more likely to complete post-secondary education than children of low-income renters. Habitat Homeowners Stefanie and Christie have seen this impact firsthand.
Stefanie’s Story
At our 2024 Women Build Kickoff Party, Stefanie, a 2014 Habitat Homeowner, and her son celebrate a decade-long relationship with Habitat.
Stefanie and her four children moved into their Habitat home in 2014. Before that, she was a single mother living in project housing, having completed schooling only through the eighth grade. A decade later, her son Jaden graduated from high school this May with a 4.6 GPA and received a full-ride scholarship to Florida State University.
“I thank God for allowing me the blessing of giving my child a stable home his entire childhood, which has essentially set the foundation for the rest of his life,” she said.
Stefanie says having a stable home played a role in Jaden’s success. He was able to focus on school and his future plans instead of worrying about adult issues like moving, paying bills or not being able to afford life.
Before Jaden, her two oldest sons earned full-ride college scholarships through Take Stock in Children, a program she learned about in a Habitat for Humanity newsletter.
Jaden graduated with several cords and medals, was a speaker at graduation and was in the National Honor Society. However, he wasn’t just a scholar; he was football manager, in the orchestra, prom king, and in student government. He plans to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.
Stefanie’s children’s accomplishments aren’t the only things worth celebrating. Stefanie runs three businesses, including childcare centers, employs 14 people, and is President of the Harlem Heights Improvement Association. Having the stability of a home allowed her to transform her life, even paying off her mortgage five years early. “My goal is to give back,” Stefanie said. “Habitat for Humanity set the foundation for my life, and for that, I will always be grateful!”
Three of her employees are now Habitat homeowners. “Not only was I doing something I loved, but I was also employing other people,” she said. “This gave me the chance to uplift other single mothers like myself and encourage them to follow their dreams.”
Christie’s Story
Christie and her children moved into their Habitat home two years ago. As a mother of six, she raised her kids in a small two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in an unsafe neighborhood before partnering with Habitat. Now, her son David graduated from high school this May, making him the first of the kids still at home to graduate.
Christie says having the stability of a home helped tremendously in David’s success. “He had a quieter and more stable place to study when needed,” she said. “It gave him the chance to get a peaceful rest for school, because he had his own space.”
Her previous apartment made daily life exhausting. Even the simplest tasks, like bringing groceries inside, were a struggle since they lived on the third floor with no elevator. She worried about the children’s safety even just walking down the stairs, but their lives changed the day they moved into their Habitat home.
Habitat homeowner Christie and her son gear up in hard hats at their wall raising.
“For the first time, my children had their own bedrooms,” Christie said. “No more stacked bunk beds, no more squeezing into tiny corners just to have a moment to themselves. They finally had space to breathe, to dream, to be kids.”
David was a four-year Varsity basketball player in high school and used his time after school to work at his father’s local child-care facility. Now, David has plans to join the United States Army.
Christie hopes her children, who are still at home, will have big dreams and understand that they can be whatever they want to be. “I encourage them all to keep God first and to be the very best that they can and will be,” she said.
Christie encourages more than just her children. Her impact extends far beyond her own family. She reached more than half a million people on TikTok, where she shares her experience with Habitat homeownership.
“I know that there are so many people out there who believe homeownership is out of reach, that it’s something meant for someone else—but not for them,” Christie said. “That’s why I share my story.”
Hundreds of people from all over the country reached out to Christie, some asking questions about Habitat for Humanity and others sharing how her journey gave them the courage to start on their own. “Nothing brings me more joy than hearing from someone who thought homeownership was impossible, only to discover that it was possible for them too,” she said.
