In the summer of 2024, Gretchen was caught off guard when her best friend, Mica, suddenly asked, “Hey, what’s your gross income? How long have you lived in Wake County?”
Gretchen laughed, unsure what was happening. “I was like, I have no idea what you’re doing—but here you go.”
What Gretchen didn’t realize at the time was that Mica was filling out a Habitat for Humanity of Wake County application on her behalf.
Meet Cameron! He is entering his senior year of high school with a clear vision for his future: a career in construction. This summer, he spent his time on Habitat Wake’s construction site through our Summer of Service program.
“I found the program through a teacher at my school,” Cameron says. “She knew I wanted to work in the construction field after high school, and she really wanted to make sure I got an internship.”
The first formings of a Habitat ReStore popped up six years after Habitat for Humanity of Wake County was founded in 1985.
Habitat for Humanity of Wake County is pleased to announce the fiscal year 25-26 officers and committee chairs for its Board of Directors. Please join us in congratulating Evan Stolove (Chair), Whitney von Haam (Vice Chair), Amy Hilfiker (Treasurer), Wortham Boyle (Secretary), Quincy Amekuedi (HR Committee Chair), Ken Hyer (Nominating & Governance Committee Chair), and John Morgan (At-Large Executive Committee member).
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.”
“First, I tried my luck with a traditional mortgage,” Rosemeri recalled. “And this was right about the time that COVID hit, so it was a nightmare for families who were trying to buy a home. People who had more money were offering $50k to $75k over the asking price. They were buying homes without even viewing them. I stood no chance.”
But Rosemeri refused to give up. The dream of homeownership had been an unwavering goal for many years, and behind it all was a powerful motivator: her children.
This June, we were able to welcome four homeowners into their new neighborhood in Knightdale, NC. We know how much commitment it took to get to this point, and we are so excited for these families to begin their next chapter. To our faith partners, sponsors, volunteers and staff--thank you! It's continually inspiring to see so many parts of our community come together.
Anthony Woods had been in need of a new roof for several years.
“My roof was deteriorating,” he said. “I had several roofers come out for estimates, and I was just praying somebody would give me a break, but the price was too much for me. It got to the point where I was thinking about looking up YouTube tutorials and trying to do something on my own, because you could see light coming in through the roof. And then I got that phone call from Habitat … it was like a blessing straight out of the sky.”
“My apartment had gotten too small for us,” Kandy said. “So I was like, well, what could be next? I’m a kitchen supervisor at a restaurant, and things were going good. I felt like I was ready to buy something. I was just in the right spot.”
Kandy and her children were ready for a change. Imagine trying to squeeze four kids (including a set of energetic twin boys) into a small apartment. Space was tight, and it was time to dream bigger.
