Chyna is used to caring for others. As a healthcare worker in Wake County, she spends her days (and nights) monitoring patients through some of their hardest moments. But the cost of housing in Wake County has left her little time to care for herself.
“I was juggling a lot of overtime hours at my job,” she said. “Day in and day out working 12, sometimes 16 hours, just to make ends meet.”
At the center of it all was housing. Chyna was navigating a rental market that continuously moved the goalpost.
“Renting was a roller coaster for me,” she said. “The rent could go up from month to month with no notice, and there were extra fees I wouldn’t know about until I got my statement.”
Her reality is one shared by many essential workers across the region: the people who keep our hospitals, schools and public services running often cannot afford to live in the communities they serve.
“Even doing 12-hour shifts was not enough to cover the basic bills,” Chyna said. “That’s what pushed me into consistent 16-hour shifts.”
Over time, the sacrifice took a toll. “I’m just not getting an appropriate amount of sleep. And that's caused health challenges of my own,” she shared.
This pressure on her time also meant putting personal and professional goals on hold. Chyna has longstanding entrepreneurial dreams, but they’re difficult to pursue when her energy is consumed with getting through the next overtime shift. Purchasing her home with an affordable mortgage will significantly shift that reality.
“I just want to be able to work more normal hours and know what my major expenses are so I can use that time to start my own business. I’m passionate about helping people, and I want to use my healthcare experience to do that outside of the hospital system.” She shared.
Affordable homeownership, Chyna believes, is critical to unlocking that future. A stable mortgage would allow her to step back from marathon shifts, protect her health and create space to pursue her long-term goals. This desire is what led her to Habitat Wake.
“I’ve always heard about Habitat, but I really started researching my options and found that I qualified,” she said. “The process has been great so far, and I’m excited about the future. I'll get to be in my own home and just be free to have more choices.”
Chyna is making quick progress through her 200 hours of sweat equity and has reached one of the most exciting milestones in the program: selecting her future home. For many homebuyers, this is the moment when the journey starts to feel fully real. After completing 50 hours on the construction site, she’s now shifting into her ReStore shifts and educational courses. Before long, she’ll be holding the keys to her new home.
Chyna’s story reflects a broader truth in our community: too many essential workers are struggling to find affordable places to live.
As the Raleigh area expands, so does the need for affordable housing. Creating access is critical so that members of our community can find stability and space for the dreams that will shape their futures, just as Chyna plans to do.
If you'd like to learn more about the work we do at Habitat Wake, please visit www.habitatwake.org