Tynisha has five months left to reach her goal for this year: get her two daughters into their Habitat Wake home by Christmas. If there’s one word that captures her spirit, it’s dedication.
“I applied to Habitat Wake two years ago and I got denied. My feelings were hurt at first, but I decided to keep trying and do what I needed to do,” she recalls. “They told me my income wasn’t high enough. But I couldn’t let this idea go. I’d always had it in my head that I would get my daughters into a home.”
A home health aide, Tynisha took things into high gear. She balanced multiple in-home nursing assignments, increased her income, and reapplied. Her second application was approved, and the financial changes she made were so significant that her initial approval for a townhome was later upgraded to a single-family home.
“When she told me about the single-family house, I literally started crying,” she says with a laugh. “It’s a blessing, and I’m a big old crybaby. I was so grateful for the townhouse, but this feels like such a dream. My girls are in their teens, but there’s still time for them to experience their childhood, have their own rooms, and know it will always be there for them. I keep telling them, ‘Just bear with me a little longer. We’re almost at the finish line.’”
Juggling her demanding schedule of work and sweat equity hours, Tynisha has fallen in love with the Habitat building process. Throughout this summer, her younger daughter, Kaniyah, joined her on site, and together they learned new skills while helping construct homes for future neighbors in Old Poole Place. Tynisha is literally helping to build her future community.
“After I finish this program, me and my children still want to go out and help,” she says. “Volunteering is awesome. I can give four or five hours to bless someone else. Even after the program, I’ll still do it.”
Tynisha's story is a testament to persistence. We’re cheering her on as she closes in on her finish line, and to see what will come next for her and her two daughters.
Interested in owning a Habitat Wake home or volunteering with us? Learn more here: Habitatwake.org/apply