Shamika is a hardworking, single mother of five who has always dreamt of owning her own home. Even though common financial struggles and life factors have hindered her from becoming a homeowner, she says she is “praying that this is my opportunity to achieve my goal.”
Shamika has lived in Central Florida for ten years, maintaining a stable job as a Bus Driver for a local school district throughout her time here. She sees Central Florida as her home, which is why she hopes to further establish steady roots here.
While she has worked a stable job and raised five children here in Central Florida, she remained a renter, forced to relocate every couple of years to afford housing. She currently lives in a 5-bedroom/3-bathroom house with eight renters, where one of the rooms serves as both a sleeping area and a workspace for tenants. Shamika shares a bedroom with another roommate, a closet with her son, and a bathroom with both her son, her roommate, and other tenants. While this is a roof over her head, Shamika deserves and hopes for a home to call her own, where she does not need to worry about overused bathrooms not working or the little space she has. She deserves a place where her other children can visit and stay; a place to call home.
By providing Shamika and others like her with an affordable home to call their own, we foster positive community relationships and decrease the stress that comes with renting. Once Shamika owns her own home, she will be able to continue to safely drive local students to school in the mornings, after comfortably waking up and getting ready in her own home.
Shamika says, “I was a single mom of five, struggling to make ends meet, and now that my children are adults and living their own lives, I feel it’s time that I start living the American dream and own my very first home.” As the end of her lease quickly approaches, we are so excited for Shamika to move into a home she can finally call her own.
