Families across the United States are paying too high a price to cover the cost of home. Rents and homeownership costs are skyrocketing while wages are not keeping pace.
Today, 20.3 million U.S. households pay over half of their income on a place to live. That means nearly 1 in 6 families are denied the stability that safe, decent and affordable housing provides. More and more families are forced to make impossible choices--safe homes, nutritious food on the table, health care, access to good schools, reliable transportation. Which would you choose?
Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity helps workforce families in El Paso County, Colorado afford the safety and security of a home. Families need to know that their house is a safe haven in these uncertain times, and we are committed to protecting the well-being of families when they are most in need of permanent and affordable housing.
For families without affordable shelter, stability does not come easy. When you live in substandard or overcrowded conditions, it only makes feelings of uncertainty and vulnerability worse. Some families have felt this for a lifetime — if not generations.
For Jamie, having an affordable home means that her children will not grow up homeless, like she did. Before becoming a Habitat homeowner, Jamie and her two children lived in a two-bedroom, transitional housing unit in a subsidized neighborhood. Their living quarters were tight, and dangerous gang activity was a constant threat within the neighborhood. Jamie herself had been homeless off and on from age 12 to 21, and she was determined to keep her children from experiencing it. “I’ve slept next to dryers in laundromats because it was warm, and I’ve slept under park benches when it was raining so hard.” Since then, she has put herself through college and works full-time. In addition to managing a job and taking care of her kids’ needs, Jamie worked diligently to build her house alongside countless volunteers, and she successfully completed her homebuyer education classes.
Now as a first-time homeowner, Jamie has the security and stability that was missing in her youth. With the support of generous donations, including those through the CFC, families like Jamie’s will have a secure and stable home, especially now when it’s needed most.
