Sarah is a hard-working mom of a 12-year-old son and has three cats. She and her son love to go to the movies or the park together and make an occasional trip to Sky Zone for some fun on the trampolines when they can. Sara works as a Nurse Aid for St. Vincent but also worked an additional job in a restaurant until recently to better support her family.

Sara and her son currently live in a house, but even though the rent is cheap, the house itself has mold, sagging floors, and a roof that often leaks. Until Sara was approved for a Habitat house, she felt like they would never get out of the cycle of renting. “You never have enough money to save. You are caught in a trap, and you can’t get out.”

Fortunately, a friend of hers who also has a Habitat home encouraged her to apply. At first, she was hesitant to go through the process because she was worried that she wouldn’t be able to work two jobs, take care of her son, and complete the required 300 sweat equity hours needed for the program. However, she is so thankful she took that step and has been amazed by the support she has received from volunteers, other future Habitat homeowners, and people who just want to help.

Sarah’s journey to this point has been “exhausting, but rewarding,” and she knows it will be worth it in the end. She’s also thankful for all the other future homeowners she has met along the way and the encouragement she receives from them when things get difficult. There’s typically not a day that goes by where she doesn’t text or talk to them.

The cost savings Sarah will get from having a Habitat home will allow her to go back to school and help accomplish her main goal of paying for her son’s college education. She is looking forward to a day when she doesn’t have to stress about whether she will be able to pay her bills each month and can focus on the most important part of her life, her son. “The house is going to take stress off my life so that I can relax and just be a mother.”