Andrea is a cook at heart—creating meals for her family is her passion. With four active kids involved in church and sports, she dreams of giving them a safe, stable place to grow. But her current living situation has made that difficult.

Her rental home comes with constant stress. The landlord communicates poorly and often reminds her that it’s his house, leaving Andrea feeling unwelcome in the place she’s trying to make a home. On top of that, she has battled mice in the kitchen—making it hard to do what she loves most: cook for her children.

Still, Andrea holds on to hope. She discovered Iowa Heartland Habitat through her church and decided to apply. Now, she’s building credit, building skills, and most importantly, building a future for her kids.

Her children can’t wait to get on the build site, and Andrea is excited to learn how to construct her home. Gaining new skills has given her confidence. She knows she’ll be able to fix things and take pride in what she’s helped create.

Andrea looks forward to cooking on her own stove, in her own space, the way she wants to.

“I can’t wait to be in my own home and be able to relax,” she says. “Getting my own home will change my life because now I am building for myself.”

Andrea encourages anyone facing a similar situation to apply for Iowa Heartland Habitat—and to be patient and trust the process.