Building a Brighter Future Together

By Kimberly Winter Stern

 

Ask Sharon Lindsay what being a Habitat KC homeowner represents, and she’ll answer succinctly and emotionally.

 

“It’s achieving a dream, it’s hard work to help you grow, it means I have something to leave my children when I pass on,” she said through tears and a halting voice during a recent interview. “Owning a home means my daughter has a safe place to ride her bike and play in the backyard, that I have a washer and dryer in my basement to do my laundry and not be afraid someone in a laundromat will steal the clothes.”

 

The Home Builder’s Association of Greater Kansas City (KCHBA) 2024 Artisan Home Tour raised more than $150,000 for Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City. This donation supports the two organization’s mutual goal of homeownership for everyone throughout the metro.

 

As the region’s largest nonprofit homebuilder, Habitat KC partners annually with more than 1,000 homeowners like Lindsay.

 

“Habitat KC was honored to be selected as the beneficiary for this year’s Artisan Home Tour,” said Habitat KC Community Engagement Manager Stacie Schirk. “The proceeds will directly support our mission of building strength, stability, and self-reliance through affordable housing for homeowners like Sharon Lindsay. We deeply appreciate the chance to engage with our community, share our impactful work, and partner with others passionate about making homeownership accessible to everyone. Together, we are building a brighter future, one home at a time.”

 

Impacting Stability and Security for Thousands

The ongoing relationship with KCHBA and Habitat KC, and the proceeds from the Artisan Home Tour, allow the nonprofit to fund initiatives like the homeownership program, which assists individuals to become mortgage-ready in less than a year with HUD-certified counseling and financial education courses. Habitat KC services all mortgages in-house, allowing it to work with families throughout the life of their mortgage.

 

“The Artisan Home Tour dollars are extremely important, but so are the powerful connections Habitat KC makes with the building and banking industries, which share our belief that everyone deserves safe, decent, and affordable housing,” she said.

 

Habitat KC’s Fiscal Year 2024 Impact Report highlights the breadth and depth of its 45-year-old mission. During the past year, 1,799 individuals were provided with affordable housing solutions in FY24 compared to 838 in FY23, resulting in a 115% growth in Habitat KC’s programming. Additionally, 19 families completed financial education and became preapproved to purchase a home on the open market. More than 4,188 volunteers invested 39,842 hours to create homeownership opportunities.

 

Lindsay’s story personifies the humanity and shared vision of the KCHBA and Habitat KC partnership.

 

A Mother’s Future Brightens

The mother of two sons in their 30s and an 8-year-old daughter, Lindsay was unhoused for six months in 2015, a fearful time in her life she calls “the low point.”

 

“I couldn’t afford my apartment because the rent kept going up,” she said, “I had to choose between buying food or gas to get to my home healthcare job. My daughter and I were living house to house, wherever a friend or a family member would take us in.”

 

Lindsay got back on her feet but was still teetering on the edge, making tough decisions just to survive. It was in late 2021 that Lindsay met the daughter of a woman she cared for in her job who got her on the path to Habitat KC homeownership, a journey that included coaching, education, and support – the three components every Habitat homeowner receives.

 

“She worked for Habitat in Georgia and connected me with Habitat KC,” Lindsay said. “Within two months, my application was approved. I started volunteering in ReStore, a requirement of the homeownership program, and attending classes to learn money management and how to do simple home repairs.”

 

Lindsay’s future home was gifted to Habitat KC by a family whose matriarch passed. They no longer wanted the old house off of E. 67th St., which had fallen into severe disrepair. Because of the pandemic, renovation permits were delayed, but Lindsay eagerly pitched in to help modernize the gutted home once the city gave the green light.

 

“We saved the original front door of the house, and I painted it red,” she said. “I’ve always wanted a door that color – red means courage.”

 

An Answer to Earnest Prayers

Lindsay and her daughter have lived in the home with the red door since late 2022. Today, she relishes simple things, like watching birds swoop through the trees outside her home, instead of worrying about where her next meal will come from. Grateful for the house she helped revitalize and the furnishings she purchased from ReStore, Lindsay is proud of accomplishing her dream of a home to hand down to her children.

 

“I get strength from my trust in God – ‘hey God, you know what I’m trying to do; I don’t know when you’ll come, but you’ll come right on time,’” she said. “And Habitat KC came right on time, too. They treat you like family. If it wasn’t for them and their programs to help people like me, it’s hard telling where my daughter and I would be today.”

One response to “Building a Brighter Future Together”

  1. My name is Denise Newman and I had a Habitat home back in 2003. My address was 2901 Flora Ave I enjoy doing my sweat hour 368 and volunteer helping others getting their. I gave my house back to habitat because I had people in my house that would not leave. Messy my house up and I couldn’t get it fix. Habitat for humanity is a blessing for everyone who is willing to do whatever it takes. Love you Habitat for giving me and my son’s a chance

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