HONK Homeowner Stories
Tiarra
We would like to introduce you to Tiarra, one of our newest HONK homeowners in Covington!!
Tiarra worked hard during her time in our lease-to-own program. From day one, it was clear that she had big dreams of owning and giving her children a place that they could call home.
“Before homeownership, life was a serious struggle. Apartment life was a nightmare. With too many restrictions and no privacy – it was an actual nightmare. But not anymore!! We’re homeowners now!!”
“It felt like a wave of relief washed over us when I crossed that finish line into homeownership. Finally being able to call it home and now we’re making it ours – one room at a time.”
Bridnee
We were thrilled to welcome Bridnee and her son as the newest addition to our Lease-to-Own Program in 2021. During her time in the program, Bridnee worked incredibly hard to get across the finish line and achieve homeownership.
She was determined and always had her mind set on achieving her goal of becoming a homeowner.
“This opportunity with HONK has changed my life. Being a single mother of a child with special needs is tough but now a HUGE burden has been lifted. My son now can play more freely, and I am no longer concerned about our safety. Thank you, Gina, and everyone that helped make this possible!”
We cannot wait to see what the bright future holds for Bridnee and her son!
Chevy
Twenty-four years ago, Nann walked into our office for the first time with a goal to better her and her families lives through homeownership. With the help of HONK’s lease-to-own homeownership program Nann achieved this goal and gave her kids [shown in the bottom photo] the home and lives that she dreamt of for years while renting and moving in and out of apartments.
Chevy, Nann’s daughter is one of those kids from that photo (first row, far right.) This summer, Chevy followed in her mother’s footsteps, achieving the dream of homeownership with a lot of hard work and determination and has provided her children with a good home.
“I am very blessed to be able to purchase a home for my family. The HONK program is not only about owning a home, but it has also offered me knowledge that will last a lifetime. I am so grateful for that. I have worked so hard and now I have my home.”
We are ecstatic to announce that Chevy has officially completed HONK’s lease-to-own program and has purchased her first home just as her mother did.
Congratulations on becoming a homeowner Chevy! Much like your family we are incredibly proud and happy for you. Your perseverance to achieve your goals and dreams truly is an inspiration to all of us here at HONK.
Abby
For Abby, becoming a homeowner was more than just an accomplishment that she could check off of a list. Closing on her home this summer was also a lifelong dream come true.
“I had dreamed of owning my own home for as long as I can remember. I had accomplished a lot of other dreams and goals by my mid-twenties, but owning a home seemed so far off. There are a lot of factors that you have to check off that go into homeownership, and I just wasn’t a good fit.”
Abby’s determination to give her children a beautiful home to grow up in was the drive behind overcoming all of the hiccups, roadblocks, and tribulations that go along with the process of becoming a homeowner for the first time.
“A family friend told me about HONK, and I was shocked when I was chosen to work through the program. The home that Gina showed me couldn’t have been more perfect for my little family. My daughter still says that it is my dream home because I’m ‘old school’ (the house is almost 100 years old, and I’ve always been drawn to antique/vintage things). She’s not wrong.”
We were very lucky to be a part of Abby’s homeownership journey and to get to see her hard work pay off. From day one, we all admired her motivation and her drive, and we couldn’t be happier to see her succeed.
“HONK has given me a safe, comfortable, beautiful home to make the best memories with my kids for years to come. My dream home. There’s truly nothing better than that.”
Congratulations on buying your first home Abby! We can’t wait to see what you accomplish next.
Pam
Pam came to HONK saying she hates where she lives and wants to be a homeowner. She said “my father bought a home in Florida when he was 71 years old. I don’t want to wait that long!” Pam was accepted into HONK’s lease-purchase program and moved into her home on West 9th Street in Covington.
“Pam was a very good person to work with,” said Marcia Jennings, HONK’s Housing Couselor. She did all the right things to get herself into this position and own her home.” Pam added, “HONK was wonderful to me during my lease period. They helped me from the beginning. I don’t know what I would have done without the down payment assistance that I earned during my lease time.”
With the accrued down payment and a very affordable mortgage with the Bank of America, Pam’s monthly house payment was less than her rent payment to HONK.
The house was quite an undertaking. It was purchased from an estate and had to be totally gutted and interior walls rebuilt to make them square as well as allow for adequate insulation. Creative redesign made the interior into a very nice two bedroom, one full bath home. It was originally built on crawl space (no real basement) and the previous owners hung the furnace from the floor joist. “Getting that old furnace out of there was a hard job in itself,” said Joe Gallenstein, HONK’s former Administrator. “Luckily our design for the house included space for the mechanicals to be more easily accessed.”
Phyllis
Phyllis is a homeowner in Covington’s Mainstrasse Neighborhood. HONK constructed two single family houses on existing vacant lots in the neighborhood. After reading the Best Water Softener Reviews she quickly implemented some water treatment into the projects. After completing construction and arranging for the respective sales, Phyllis allowed herself a break.
Phyllis is a single mother with two daughters and one son. “I moved around a lot before I moved in here,” Phyllis said. “I lived in City Heights for a while too,” she continued. She found about HONK from her step-mother, who is also a HONK homeowner.
Phyllis runs an in-home day care, so she was eager to get into her new home and place of business. She is excited and grateful for the opportunity to own her home. She is especially grateful to all the HONK volunteers that made affordable homeownership possible.
Phyllis is HONK’s first participant in Section 8 Home Ownership Program. Working closely with the Brighton Center’s Self-Sufficiency Program and HONK’s Housing Counselor, she was able to utilize a supportive housing voucher as a means to ownership rather than long term rental. With down payment assistance from the City of Covington, her dream of homeownership has become a reality. “Jeremy (Wallace, City of Covington) and Mary Ann (HONK) were great. They kept me focused on my goal and helped me understand that I could achieve it.” Phyllis said.
When asked how it feels to own her own home, she responded, “I don’t know if words can say how I feel. I am so grateful to HONK. I could have never fulfilled this dream without them. I am so blessed. I pray that my own children will one day grow up and own their own home, like me. God has so blessed me!”
