As Angie and her 18-year-old daughter, Adrionna, moved into their new Habitat home in March, they were grateful for all the people who helped them on their journey to become first–generation homeowners.
“I want to pay it forward by sharing my story and show others that it’s possible to buy your own home,” shares Angie. Adrionna, a freshman in college, is co-owner of the home.
For the last six years, Angie, Adrionna and Angie’s 11-year-old daughter, Alyssa, lived at BeyondHome, a non-profit transitional housing program in Arvada that helps families become self-sufficient through professional counseling, life skills training, education, and mental health services. “I loved living there and being a community partner,” shares Angie, who grew up in Denver. “I’m proud of being one of their success stories.”
BeyondHome, which partners with Habitat Metro Denver, helped Angie finish high school, get job training and complete a college degree. With those skills and experience, she was in a position to apply for and buy a Habitat home. Angie heard about Habitat when she volunteered at a fundraiser at Metropolitan State University, and applied to Habitat several times before she qualified.
Angie is now a program coordinator at Thrive, a nonprofit support program that provides training and coaching to help impoverished individuals achieve economic self-sufficiency. “I get to help people I can really relate to,” she shares. She also works a second job as an assistant conference director and manager at a nonprofit. And she helps her mother, who is an incomplete paraplegic and lives close to Angie’s new Habitat home.
“By sharing my story, I want to show others that it’s possible to buy your own home.”
– Habitat Homeowner Angie
“I wanted to be near my mom, and I asked for a wheel-chair accessible back door,” shares Angie. For their sweat equity, Angie and Adrionna worked at the ReStores stocking, labeling, and organizing products. They enjoyed Habitat’s homeowner classes, which helped them prepare for homeownership. “I didn’t know what escrow was or earnest money. I didn’t know about homeowner insurance,” shares Angie.
She is looking forward to hosting a housewarming party for family and friends, holding summer birthday parties at the nearby park, and hosting Thanksgiving for the first time.
“Thank you to Habitat for offering affordable homes to people who could not afford to buy a house otherwise,” shares Angie. “We’re so grateful.”
