“I can’t let him out to ride his bike because it’s not safe,” she said. “My eyes were opened last year and I know I had to get out of our current place.”
Originally from New Jersey, Michele has lived in Summerville for 22 years. She works at St. Luke’s childcare facility and found out about Dorchester Habitat’s Homeownership program from a coworker who is a previous Habitat homeowner.
“This is the only way I can provide a house for me and my son,” she explained. “It’s a dream come true for me. He’ll always have a roof over his head and that fills my heart.”
Michele said she has learned a lot about construction since starting the program a few months ago. Our construction supervisor even convinced her to help frame the roof of a house to build her confidence.
“Getting on the roof did something for me,” she said. “The feeling of passing that plywood to someone. I can’t put it into words the excitement of getting to put a roof over someone’s head.”
Michele also enjoys teaching her son values through her homebuilding experience. Because he is too young to build at the site he helps by getting good grades on his report card so his mother has time to build.
“I’m teaching him that you have to work hard for what you want,” she said. “You can’t expect everything to be given to you.”
For any potential future homeowners thinking about joining the Program, Michele would tell them that you are never too old to start over. She said it took many years to get her credit where it is today. She was recently able to purchase a new car in her own name thanks to her saving habits. She feels like her future home is a light at the end of a tunnel for her family.
“This is my forever home, I’m never leaving again,” she said.
