Liberty University's First Build - The Patrick Team

In 2016, Tiffany lived in a two-bedroom apartment with her three daughters.  Her family was like the thousands of other low-income families in Lynchburg in need of adequate shelter. She shared a bedroom with her four-year-old daughter, and the other two daughters shared the second room. All four of them crammed into a small bathroom to get ready in the morning. Tiffany had to carry the family’s laundry to the laundromat, as the small apartment was not set up for a washer and dryer.

Their family was stuck with little hope of moving past this point. Tiffany was already making sacrifices to provide for her children and could not afford a better apartment or save to buy a house. Then she heard of Habitat for Humanity and its program to help families like hers build and own a safe, quality home that fits their income. She remembers, “I realized I was paying so much in rent, but I could be taking a chance on something I own and leave a legacy for my family.”

This was the first Liberty University Build, and Tiffany credits the volunteers and donors for helping her build her home. She says, “To see how much work and effort they put into my family and me, even though they never even knew us, made me want to reach out for it even more and go forward knowing we can do this as a family. Knowing that all these people that I have never even met before took the time to invest in my family is a once in a lifetime privilege that I am very grateful for!”

“To this very day, it still feels like the first day we moved into this home. And I am thankful to call it our own. I know that it is a blessing from God,” Tiffany says. “Everything changed for my family’s future.”

In their Habitat home, Tiffany and her three daughters now have room to grow and develop. The kids have a yard where they can play. Tiffany does not have to share a bedroom with her daughter and can do laundry under her own roof. She has more peace because they have a decent home with a mortgage that fits her income and is not a financial hardship. It is all because of the volunteers and donors; without them, GLHFH could not serve families like Tiffany’s.

“I’d like to thank every volunteer and donor, known and unknown, who were willing to put in the effort; who were willing to take time out of their schedule when they don’t even have to do it; who were committed and loyal and faithful in what they do; who never let me hear a complaint out of their mouth; who kept the joy going… From my family and me, thank you! It was a pleasure!” – Tiffany