Building stability for their family of six
Habitat homeowner Gladys was eight months pregnant as she completed her sweat equity hours at Mountain View Community Homes in Aurora last summer. Just weeks later, she and her husband, Kiseka, welcomed their fourth child—and soon after, they closed on their Habitat home.
Through it all, Gladys’ joyful spirit and determination never wavered, a reflection of her deep commitment to her family and their future.
“Homeownership will change our lives in every way, for us and our kids,” shares Gladys. “I am proud of the foundation we are building.”
Gladys moved to Denver from the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a teenager and has called the city home for 12 years. She and Kiseka married in 2016, and he later joined her in the U.S. Today, he works at a warehouse fulfillment center, and Gladys is a certified nursing assistant. Together, they’re raising four children.
Gladys’ mother told her about Habitat for Humanity and Gladys read about the program online. In her home country, homeownership is extremely rare – reserved for only the most wealthy. But after learning about Habitat’s local program, Gladys began to believe that it was an attainable goal for her and her family.
While Gladys painted walls and installed doors in their new home for her sweat equity hours, Kiseka cared for their three older kids—ages 6, 4, and 2—and completed his own sweat equity hours on the construction site and in the ReStores.
“When you want something like this very bad, you work hard for it,” Gladys says.
Their new two-story home has four bedrooms and a backyard—green space they’ve never had before. “The sense of safety and community here is completely new,” Kiseka explains. “We know that this is our home, and that brings peace.”
Gladys adds, “In our new home, we know it’s ours. We feel secure and we feel free.”
Habitat’s homeownership classes on finance, taxes, and home maintenance helped Gladys and Kiseska feel ready to be homeowners.
“After we moved in, we gathered our family and say thank-you to God and to Habitat. We celebrated Kiseka’s birthday,” shares Gladys.
“I am awed by the volunteers. It is so touching to see people doing these things for you. We are so grateful.”
“Homeownership will change our lives in every way”
– Gladys, Habitat Homeowner
