Woods Family

Dyshiea Woods is a single mother of two children, Deneceille, age 10, and Maurice, age 2. She works as a CNA at Storypoint Assisted Living. The family currently lives in a noisy, overcrowded, and unsafe second-floor apartment, where she feels uncomfortable letting her children play outside.
 

Dyshiea learned about Habitat's homeownership program from friends who are Habitat homeowners. She is excited to provide her children with a stable home where they can have their own bedrooms and create lasting childhood memories. She fondly recalls her own childhood, the wall that marked the growth of the kid's heights each year, and wants her children to experience the same. Dyshiea also looks forward to living in a community where neighbors look out for one another.
 

She is eagerly anticipating the financial stability that homeownership will bring, stating, "Rent goes up, and you never know when they will charge extra fees, making it difficult to plan."
 

The financial literacy and homeownership classes taught her the importance of maintaining a good credit score and budgeting effectively. However, her favorite part of the program has been the sweat-equity hours spent helping to build homes for other partner families. She has learned new skills, such as installing windows, and has appreciated meeting the volunteers, saying, "They are a blessing to others; I can't thank them enough."
 

Dyshiea advises other families considering applying for Habitat's homeownership program or currently in the program to "stay focused and have patience."