Brittni has been a mom her entire adult life, but she and her family did not always have a stable place to live. “I applied for the Housing [Choice Voucher Program] when my oldest was 5 months old. They finally called me eight years later. I was homeless at one point.”
After waiting those 8 long years, Brittni was approved for housing vouchers. She lucked out on timing . She was expecting her second child when she got the call.
For 10 years, the family has lived in affordable housing townhomes. However, recently they started having problems with maintenance and safety. Their current home has thin wall that make it noisy, needs repairs, and is tight on space, meaning the kids cannot have friends over or find a quiet place to study.
Looking Forward
Brittni has always been determined to make a better life for herself and her children. She worked hard to get an education while raising her children. She accumulated student loans and had to make tough decisions that impacted her credit. Both cost her being approved for a traditional mortgage.
Six years ago, Brittni served as an AmeriCorps member at the Lansing Financial Empowerment Center where she learned and taught others how to budget and improve their credit. There, Brittni learned of Habitat Capital Region’s program to purchase an affordable home. Brittni worked hard to qualify for the Homeownership Program using her new knowledge. She was determined and was approved to purchase a Habitat home!
When it was time to offer Brittni a property, she couldn’t believe what property Habitat Capital Region secured in partnership with Ingham County Land Bank.
Dreams Come True
She actually found this property a few months before on the Land Bank’s website and dreamed of living there, but didn’t tell anyone. She even parked in front of it to visit a friend in the neighborhood. “I wanted to cry when I looked at the property with Habitat. I feel like I manifested this.”
Brittni broke ground on her future Habitat home in early April. Once again the timing couldn’t be better. She had a baby on the way! We are all so excited to build this home with Brittni and welcome her and her family to an affordable house they can always call home.
Brittni’s home is being built in partnership with Ingham County Land Bank.
“Together, we can better address the need for affordable, sustainable housing in the region and create opportunities for future homeowners that might not otherwise exist. We can't wait to transform this vacant lot into a home and welcome Brittni into homeownership!”
- Roxanne Case, Executive Director of Ingham County Land Bank.
