In 2023, Michelle Hester’s mom called her. She’d seen Habitat Wake's Old Poole neighborhood on the news, and it was only a few miles down the road from them. That night, she and Michelle drove through what was just the beginning of a neighborhood. On that drive, Michelle thought to herself, “This feels like something I could do.”
As a Raleigh native, the housing market had transformed around Michelle to the point where her steady job as a USPS postal carrier could no longer comfortably keep up with rental options in Wake County, let alone a home purchase. But Michelle never gave up on the vision of raising her children in a home of their own.
After that drive with her mom, she went home and applied to Habitat Wake’s homeownership program.
But for Michelle, the process didn’t start immediately. “When I first applied to this program, I got denied. But I didn’t give up. I continued to work on my credit and save until I was eligible to reapply.”
The second time around, in 2024, things were different.
“I was approved at the same time I found out I was pregnant with my second child. But I didn’t let my pregnancy hold me back from my goal. I continued to work and complete my sweat equity hours up until a week before I gave birth to my daughter. For me, my kids have always been my motivation to do all this.”
A month ago, Michelle welcomed her daughter M’Lynn into the world. Next week, she’ll get to welcome her entire family into their future home. She and her husband, Milton, are excited to build a stable future for their two kids just five minutes down the road from Michelle’s parents.
Michelle’s children, Michael (18 months) and M’Lynn (1 month), will not remember life before this home. They won’t remember the challenges, effort, and time their mom put into creating this opportunity for their family. But here at Habitat Wake, we will remember the incredible dedication Michelle showed for her family.
This Mother’s Day, we’re celebrating all the moms out there, especially our Habitat Wake moms, who are constantly working to care for their children in both everyday and extraordinary ways.
