{"id":1732,"date":"2025-07-15T15:37:37","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T20:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.webuildhabitat.org\/?post_type=featured-story&#038;p=1732"},"modified":"2025-07-27T21:42:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T02:42:48","slug":"ashleys-story-of-hope-3","status":"publish","type":"featured-story","link":"https:\/\/www.webuildhabitat.org\/my\/stories-of-hope\/ashleys-story-of-hope-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Ashley's Story of Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>At 40, Ashley had spent much of her adult life in rental homes. While she was grateful for a roof over her head, something was always missing \u2014 a true sense of <em>home<\/em>. For her and her daughter, Amiyah, the places they lived in were temporary, not theirs to personalize or dream within. But that all began to change the day she was approved for the Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity Homeownership Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI had a \u2018God heard me\u2019 moment,\u201d Ashley said. \u201cWe finally got our blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ashley had applied multiple times, only to be turned away for one reason or another. However, each \u201cno\u201d didn\u2019t stop her from believing in something better for herself and her daughter. She kept trying, knowing that one day it would be her turn.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When she received her approval, Ashley imagined her home for the first time. \u201cI\u2019m planning out all the things we need or want to bring the space together and make it our home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, it is not just designing what the house will look like. Ashley looks forward to simple things: a bigger space to share with Amiyah and creating lasting memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ashley knows this opportunity was not just handed to her. She earned it. Through perseverance, faith, and unwavering commitment, she has turned hope into reality. And soon, she and Amiyah will walk through the doors of their new home \u2014 a place built with love, determination, and a community that believed in them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis experience has been fulfilling and memorable,\u201d Ashley said. \u201cI\u2019m just so excited to truly make it our home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ashley\u2019s message to anyone considering a donation to Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity is, \u201cYour donation is making a difference. It gives families like mine a chance to step in the right direction. You\u2019re not just creating more homeowners \u2014 you\u2019re helping build stronger communities and leaving a lasting impact that we can all be proud of.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At 40, Ashley had spent much of her adult life in rental homes. While she was grateful for a roof over her head, something was always missing \u2014 a true sense of home. For her and her daughter, Amiyah, the places they lived in were temporary, not theirs to personalize or dream within. But that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1733,"template":"","page-location":[196],"story-type":[209],"class_list":["post-1732","featured-story","type-featured-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","page-location-stories-of-impact","story-type-homeownership"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.webuildhabitat.org\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured-story\/1732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.webuildhabitat.org\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured-story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.webuildhabitat.org\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/featured-story"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.webuildhabitat.org\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.webuildhabitat.org\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"page-location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.webuildhabitat.org\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/page-location?post=1732"},{"taxonomy":"story-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.webuildhabitat.org\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story-type?post=1732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}