All of the up front costs to pay for the construction of the Faith Build home will come from the local faith community. Our Lead Faith Partner for this home is Thrivent Financial who is generously providing a matching grant in the amount of $65,000 which is half the cost of a Habitat home. All other faith based organizations who financially contribute to this home will have their donations matched dollar-for-dollar by Thrivent Financial. Our Contributing Faith Partners to date include the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Green Bay, Celebration Church, Central Church, Knights of Columbus No 7498, Resurrection Catholic Parish and St. Paul's United Methodist Church.
Liz and her children (pictured above) will be the family to purchase this Faith Build home. They attend St. Mark Lutheran Church in De Pere. Her home will be the third home of five homes that will be built on Western Avenue on Green Bay's west side. Liz shares the following about what brought her and her family to apply for Habitat's Homeownership Program:
"My name is Elizabeth. I am a single mother of two - Jordaan who is 15 and Yasmine who just turned 13. What brought us to Habitat? I guess you can sit it was more like "who" brought us to Habitat? It was almost 8 years ago as of today that someone who loved to volunteer at Habitat filled me in on the requirements and date of an application meeting. I attended a meeting and unfortunately did not qualify because I did not make enough money. A few years later I ran into that "who" again and decided to try again. And, guess what?! This time we made it!
And I say, "we" because my kids have been my rock and foundation to keep me going on this long process. I have had a health scare and we have moved three times over the years due to apartment issues with bugs, mold, noise or inadequate space. Through it all the kids and I have been turning the negatives into positive. We've kept pushing forward. And push can otherwise be known as PRAY until something happens.
We are looking forward to doing this as a family. We are excited to be surrounded by other great Habitat families where our home will be built too. It means a lot to us that we all have similar situations and believe in healthy living and a safe environment for our children. As a family my children and I are looking forward to our first backyard! Their whole lives they've never had a backyard to play in. It's always been a strip of grass in our apartment complex or parking lot which came with it's own danger. The kids can't wait to have their own bedrooms that they can pain and decorate too. A home where they can go to sleep peacefully without the constant stress of apartment living.
In closing, and with God's grace, I know that all things are possible. We choose to let our faith be bigger than our fear."