Living in a small, noisy apartment where rent prices continue to rise, Alandrea had had enough. She was ready to move on and find her own home. However, as she soon found out, purchasing a home is not that simple.

Having heard about Habitat’s work from her mother a while ago, Alandrea decided to apply. But, due to lack of a secure job, she was denied the first two times. It took a third try and finding a steady job before she was accepted. 

Maintaining employment was one of the first challenges that Alandrea experienced in the beginning of her journey. Now, as she works through her Sweat Equity hours, she is learning just how much responsibility is going to come with home-owning.

“I know that when I own my home I won’t have anyone else to fall back on when things go wrong. Not having maintenance and regular inspections that come with renting is going to be difficult. But I’ve made a lot of those [home-maintenance] mistakes and learned from them. Through Habitat I have also learned a lot about how to use tools and repair things,” Alandrea said.

Despite the obstacles that Alandrea must overcome, she is focused on making sure that she becomes a successful home-owner. When her house is complete, Alandrea says she is excited to have more privacy, space and freedom in comparison to her current apartment. She looks forward to having company over and spending time in her yard, doing things such as barbecuing or tending a garden.