Before Habitat, Michelle had shopped for a conventional mortgage. "My dream was to own a house, and I was getting shut down every which way," says Michelle. "Habitat changed that for me."
Michelle and her kids, Dylan (14), Donovan (11), and Jaqueline (10), have spent the last few years renting a small house in Elkhart. "It's a hole," Michelle sighs. Their rental house needs a new furnace- winter heating bills added to rent can top $1,000. Opening the kitchen cabinets lets cold air in. The roof and flooring in the common areas need to be replaced. Upstairs, Michelle's oldest son sleeps in the hallway to preserve some personal space.
In their Habitat home, a rehabbed house in Goshen, each child will have their own room and personal space. "Every time I go over there, I love it more!" She says. Michelle and her close-knit group of friends and family spent hours painting and working on the lawn.
Many of those friends and family go to Church of God in Goshen, where Michelle's father is preacher. The whole family has a regular part in services-Michelle's mom plays piano, Donovan drums, Dylan plays tambourine, and Michelle leads singing. "It's a family affair," Michelle laughs.
Luckily, Michelle enjoys spending time with her family. Outside church, they like to play board games together, and they volunteer as a family at a local homeless shelter. The kids have their own hobbies as well. Donovan, besides drumming, enjoys hanging out with his friends. Jaqueline loves crafts. Dylan is a hard worker-he has helped build garages, and last summer ran his own lawn mowing service.
The kids are excited to move back to Goshen. "They tell everyone," Michelle says. Used to moving every couple of years, Michelle thinks the reality of having a stable home hasn't hit them yet. They have chosen colors and painted their rooms, and Dylan has helped frame in the 2nd bathroom with Duffy, Habitat's Construction Supervisor.
As their move-in date gets closer, Michelle thinks back about the beginning of the journey. She got Habitat's acceptance call at her job at Dutchmen. She began to cry with joy. "I keep waiting for someone to call and tell me there has been a mistake," she laughs.
To Michelle, Habitat "means everything. It has changed my whole life."