10/03/2026
Pat and Mont Olson are the proud parents of a correctional officer and a nurse. They felt blessed to make Grizzly Flats their final home and adored the "tiny" house they thought they would spend the rest of their lives in. When their daughter was diagnosed with a life threatening illness, the loving parents didn't hesitate to pull out every dollar they had, including the insurance they would later need desperately. When their house became ashes later, Pat said that their "house might be gone, but we still have our daughter." She asserted that she would do it again, even knowing what was to come. Mont, an Air Force veteran, was later diagnosed with terminal cancer, believed to be caused by his exposure to the fumes and chemicals he endured during his time in the Air Force. Pat's dream is for "however long he’s still here on earth, I would love nothing more than for him to have a place he can truly call home."
After a lifetime of moving around without a stable living situation to call "home" and without a sense of family or anyone to fill that role, Melissa found family for the first time when she married her husband, Brian. Melissa and Brian Gustafson lived in what they thought would be their forever home for 16 years, and Grizzly Flats became the longest place Melissa had lived in her life. The light at the end of her tunnel filled with darkness and smoke from the flames that burned that home to the ground five years ago and wiped away the glimmer of hope they had.
Yesterday, at our Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies to celebrate the completion of TWO new homes, rebuilt on the same land where previous dwellings existed, USA Properties Fund handed the keys over to these two deserving families and made both of their dreams come true.
Thanks to USA Properties Fund and the trusted trades they rallied, who so generously donated significant time, labor and materials, HomeAid Sacramento was able to literally BUILD hope and BUILD new lives.