Tiffany

Tiffany’s mom worked hard every day to provide for her four children. Tiffany remembers her getting up and walking to work, no matter the weather. At 14, Tiffany started working summer jobs to help out.

“But we always struggled,” Tiffany said.

The family moved a lot, always living in government apartments where crime was a regular part of life.

“You could walk outside and there’d be a fight every day,” Tiffany said.

Tiffany knew when she grew up, she didn’t want to move from place to place, and she didn’t want to rent. When she moved out on her own, she said, she wanted it to be to a home she could own.

It wasn’t until age 30, when she gave birth to her daughter, Samiya, that she was inspired to really work toward that goal.

“I’m staying with my mom, and my niece and nephew are there, too. It gets a little crowded,” Tiffany said of the two-bedroom apartment.

Tiffany is 31 now. She has been working at local textile plant Glen Raven for three years. She is working hard to support her daughter and saving toward her dream. When she heard about Habitat, it sounded like just what she needed.

Tiffany was accepted into Habitat’s affordable homeownership program in June. Since then, she has been working diligently on her sweat-equity hours, spending her free time volunteering at the Habitat ReStore, taking financial education classes and helping build other Habitat homes. Her mom and other family members have been a big help, taking care of 20-month-old Samiya and volunteering alongside Tiffany.

“I want Samiya to be able to say ‘my mom did this for me,’” Tiffany said.

Now, Tiffany’s dream is real.

“I have accomplished one thing I wanted to,” Tiffany said. “And I’ve learned that anything is possible. If you try, you can have what you want in life.”