Brooke is a life-long Evansville resident with a 22-year-old son. She has been a CNA for the last five years. When she isn’t working, she loves being active– going to the gym or bicycling– but she also loves just relaxing and enjoying a good movie occasionally. She also loves to cook, and she looks forward to hosting some holiday feasts when she moves into her Habitat home.
Currently, Brooke lives with her mother. She has dreamed of having a home of her own, but the current high costs of rent have delayed her plans. She has always been a hard worker, but she was beginning to wonder how she was ever going to be on her own. When she found the Habitat program, she realized that having her own home was possible.
As she was trying to figure out potential living options, she talked to friends and family members who had Habitat houses. They encouraged her to apply. She was turned down twice, but she was determined. Habitat worked with her to figure out what she had to do to succeed, and she kept working at it until she was approved. She still has some anxiety because she has never been a homeowner before, but she also knows that it is natural to feel that way.
Being in the Habitat program has made her excited about her future. The idea of being a homeowner is more motivational than scary. She says that the idea of owning her own home has made her “want to be better and do better.”
In the beginning, the program was difficult because everything was overwhelming. She now sees it as an opportunity rather than a struggle. Through the program and the classes, she has realized how important this learning experience has been. She has realized how much she wants to give back to the community and “pay it forward.”
Brooke is so grateful to the program and to the people of Habitat. She realizes how much everyone at Habitat– both the employees and the volunteers– care. She has found “people who are willing to help, and they do it with a happy heart. I can’t thank them enough.” She says of the Core Crew, “They are the heart and soul of everything at Habitat.”
Brooke already knows her future neighbor– another future Habitat homeowner. She loves the fact that she is not alone in this. “I already have friends on my block.” She looks forward to planting a garden, hosting game nights, and spending time with friends around a fire pit. She even looks forward to yard work!
Brooke says, “I just can’t wait to be home!”