On Thursday, January 18, Habitat Greensboro dedicated the final six single-family homes to be built in the White Oak Heights Community.

Attendees gathered inside one of the recently completed homes to celebrate the joyous occasion, marking the completion of the building process for Charmion, Natasha, Seprena, Shana, Shatarra, and Tiffany. As Habitat Greensboro President and CEO David Kolosieke shared, “We are excited to celebrate with six families the beginning of their homeownership journey. It’s the end, and it’s the beginning, because soon they will be closing on their homes.”

Several future homeowners addressed those gathered, sharing their thoughts and celebrations from their homeownership journey.

Charmion shared her gratitude for the program and for the knowledge she has gained, stating, “This program has allowed me and my son to realize our dreams … The construction team [has] taught me how to now maintain my home … that was a very valuable lesson and skills that I now know. Thank you for having me in this program and my new neighbors that I have. I look forward to living with you all. Thank you.”

A native of Greensboro, Charmion is excited to step out on her own for the first time when she purchases her home from Habitat Greensboro.

Seprena’s path to homeownership has been lined with years of housing instability, yet her positive spirit and dedication to her children have carried her through. Wanting the stability of homeownership for her family, Seprena applied to Habitat Greensboro’s Homeownership Program several times but needed to work on employment stability and debt reduction. Finally, she received the call she worked so hard for and was accepted into the program.

Shana reflected upon the opportunity provided by Habitat Greensboro’s homeownership program. “I thank God for going through this whole process of being a homeowner. To even be standing here in the process and to know there are people out there to help folks like us. The [housing] market out there is crazy. I have friends who went through other processes and are saying they wish they would have tried this first as an option, which is a blessing to know that I am making a good decision for my family. I’m just humbled, and I’m ready to move. I thank everybody, and many blessings to all. Please get the word out so you can know more about the program.”

 

Last year, Shana and her husband, Raymond, set a goal of becoming homeowners and being positive role models for sons Tyshine, Javone, and Kirae by instilling a sense of unity and family togetherness. Unfortunately, Raymond passed away during the building of their home. However, that hasn’t stopped Shana from moving forward with their goal.

The ceremony concluded with Habitat Greensboro’s traditional blessing of the home, after which attendees had the opportunity to tour the homes that will soon be filled with family, love, and laughter.

The partnership of the Greensboro community, area businesses, faith communities, and civic organizations enables Habitat Greensboro to support families in their journey to homeownership. The larger community is integral to this work through financial contributions or volunteer hours spent on the build sites. Habitat Greensboro is very grateful to Brady, Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Pella Windows, Playhouse Project Participants, Publix Super Markets Charities, Qorvo, Skyla Credit Union, Wells Fargo, and Whirlpool for their financial contributions to support construction in White Oak Heights.