CINCINNATI — Robin Jones is smiling. She can’t help it.
“This is my favorite place,” she said.
Jones is standing in what’s called the home room. It’s an office at Habitat for Humanity where first-time homebuyers pick out siding, paint colors and fixtures. She hasn’t been there in eight years.
The last time, she’d been experiencing homelessness. Now, she wears a shirt that says “homeowner.”
“It changed my life,” Jones said of Habitat for Humanity. “Everything I pay goes back into my home.”
The affordable homeownership program at the nonprofit gave her no down payment and a zero-interest loan. It meant she could stop working two jobs just to survive.
“Robin is incredible, but her story is not necessarily unique,” said Sarah Reynolds, the marketing and communications officer for Habitat for Humanity. “Homeownership is the American dream, right? It’s just unattainable for a lot of people.”
Last year, more than 21 million renters spent more than 30% of their income on housing costs. In Cincinnati, the median price for rent is $1,400 a month, according to a Zillow database.
“What we do is remove some of those barriers to homeownership,” Reynolds said. “In place of a down payment, they actually work on-site to build their home.”
Jones is in the office to check on a fundraiser for next year. Since her own home purchase eight years ago, Jones has become a real estate agent. And she prides herself on helping people like her.
People who thought they’d never be able to afford a home of their own.
After every sale, Jones donates a portion of her commission to Habitat for Humanity. Because she knows a home is much more than drywall and brick.
Two years ago, her son was shot and killed in Mount Airy. It’s made her cherish her home even more.
“He loved to dance. He loved to laugh,” Jones said. “So I can see where my son helped me lift up those first walls. I can see him dancing in my kitchen.”
She taps her chest.
“Those are the memories and the heart of the home,” she said. “Because I own that house, those memories are here.”
She smiles.
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Want to help?
Jones is helping with a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity on Dec. 5. The purpose is to get more volunteers to help build a new home for someone like her next year.
For more details, click on this link.
