Coordinates to Home

When Deborah graduated from college, she married and settled in Raleigh with the intention of starting a family. Deborah had her first child during the first year and her second shortly after. She felt she had it all.

However, there was a problem. Deborah ignored her husband’s drinking, and began making excuses to her family for why he could not keep a steady job. As her husband’s drinking problem continued to grow, so did their financial problems. By their fourth year of marriage, her husband began abusing drugs.  As a result, Deborah ended up losing everything she worked so hard for.

Deborah wanted more for her life and more for her daughters. So she decided to leave. Deborah’s marriage left her with mounting debt: car repossessions, several evictions, and poor credit. She eventually had to file for bankruptcy.

Deborah’s daughters at ages 8 and 9.

Deborah and her two girls lived with friends and family, and rented in unsafe neighborhoods for many years to follow. Deborah was getting by, but not getting ahead, and she felt her life would never change. She recognized that her now teenage daughters needed a stable home. She said, “When my daughters go off to college, I want them to have a consistent place to come home to in the summers and on the weekends.”

Deborah’s daughters at ages 16 and 17.

A friend referred Deborah to DHIC where she began working with a homeownership counselor who helped her craft a plan to rebuild her credit and savings, and to settle all outstanding debts. After a year of working with the DHIC Homeownership Center, Deborah purchased her first home.

“If it weren’t for DHIC, I would not have believed owning a home would even be a possibility for me,” Deborah responded. “Having the constant support of my homeownership counselor at every step of the way made the absolute difference!”

Deborah sent her daughters off to college with a special gift: in both of their dorm rooms hangs a framed picture of the coordinates to their home in Raleigh, North Carolina, all made possible by Deborah’s hard work and commitment and the continued support of DHIC’s Homeownership Center.

They even had the coordinates tattooed on their wrists as a lifelong reminder.

DHIC has helped over 3,000 families like Deborah to realize their dream of homeownership, and with your continued support we will be able to serve many more!

DHIC’s Homeownership Center assists area families with vital community programs designed to promote housing stability and improve economic well-being.  Services include: monthly homebuyer workshops, one-on-one counseling, foreclosure prevention, and down-payment assistance.