Sisters Sylvia and Janie have always been close. They think fondly of their childhood sharing a bed in their childhood home in a public housing development and then living as neighbors in their Downtown Cincinnati housing complex as adults. When Sylvia was accepted into the Habitat Homeownership program, she was so excited, but also sad to be moving away from Janie. At her rental home, she was able to look out her window into Janie’s. “We always have lived by each other,” says Sylvia. “It was nice growing up with Janie.”
After a bit of convincing, the University of Cincinnati and Habitat for Humanity agreed to build another Habitat home a few houses up from Syliva’s. Janie applied for and was accepted to the Affordable Homeownership Program and was matched with the home. Three years after Sylvia purchased her home, Janie closed on her own Habitat home—the sisters became neighbors once again.
“I wanted to upgrade my kids to something better than what I had growing up,” says Janie. “I was so happy when I got [Habitat’s] call.” She was excited to finally be able to paint the walls and decorate her home and yard any way that she wanted without worrying about fines and rules. She says that one of her sons was excited about having brand new carpet—he even spent the first night they moved in sleeping on the carpet.
Sylvia’s mortgage and bills at her Habitat home were actually cheaper than what she was paying at her apartment in Downtown Cincinnati. Now, both sisters have paid off their mortgages. Sylvia is enjoying retirement and traveling with her daughter. “These are things I wouldn’t even be thinking about doing if I was in a different setting,” says Sylvia. “That was the best thing in my life that I feel like I did—was apply.”
Janie paid off her car and learned to better manage her money being a Habitat homeowner. She says living where they are now inspired her kids to aim higher. “It made him look at stuff different,” says Janie about one of her sons. He now has a job and his own apartment. “It’s making everybody grow up—just from being in this house.”
Becoming Habitat homeowners together has made them closer than ever. They check in on each other when they see their cars are not in the driveway. They borrow sugar from each other or share dinner.
Sharvee, Sylvia’s daughter, looks fondly on her time helping to build her childhood home. “It was a wonderful learning experience,” she said. She purchased her own market rate home in 2012, and credits Habitat for her home repair and maintenance skills. Sharvee is proud of her mother and aunt for being homeowners and “[breaking] the generational curses.” They were the first ones in their entire family to own homes. “My grandmother didn’t own a home to my mother and aunt owning homes — that’s stuff that we didn’t see growing up,” said Sharvee. Her mom has been such an inspiration to her. She looks up to her mom for retiring before the age of 60.
“I would tell everybody to apply for Habitat,” says Syliva. “It’s affordable. It’s nice to be able to bring your kids up in something you can call your own.”
“I don’t know what I’d do if you moved because I’m not moving!” says Sylvia to Janie.