06/17/2026
🎉 We have a new homebuyer! Abeba (top photo, in center, gray top, next to her friend) was recently surprised with the news that her application to the Homeownership Program was approved. She is pictured with (from left to right): CFO Damien Smith, Executive Director Yvonne Golczewski, and Homeownership Program Manager Heather Gibson.
💪🔨 What comes next? All homebuyers put in partner hours -- 250 total -- during their homeownership journey. Those hours are comprised of working side-by-side with Habitat volunteers on their home or another homebuyer's house; taking financial literacy classes to help build financial independence; and, attending home maintenance classes so that they can address any future repair issues once they are homeowners.
💡 Here's a fun fact: Abeba (bottom photos, pink top) has already begun working her physical hours at the build site. She is pictured volunteering alongside another Habitat homebuyer, Ayal, who is also contributing toward her own partner hours. Abeba and Ayal not only share a special bond in their Ethiopian heritage, but their homeownership journey will culminate in their becoming next-door neighbors when the duplex they are helping to build is completed!
🔄🏘️ Did you know? Habitat offers homebuyers an affordable mortgage with monthly payments and these mortgage payments made by Habitat homeowners help build more affordable homes. No investment is more powerful for long-term wealth building than homeownership.
