Kayla's Home Dedication
Kayla's Family Story
Kayla is a Colorado Springs native and member of a close-knit family. In fact, she and her two children have stayed with two of her sisters at different times, but while she remains grateful for the support, she and her children needed their own space after sharing rooms and sleeping on couches and even floors. Unfortunately, they’ve had to move frequently due to changes in income requirements, rent increases and unsafe neighborhoods.
The lack of a stable home has taken its toll. “My kids have never had friends over, never fully settled in anywhere, and seem to wait for the next move,” Kayla says. In fact, her son refuses to even unpack all of his belongings now.
The townhouse where they currently live is both unsanitary and unsafe. The plumbing often malfunctions, the electricity is faulty, and the floor appears to be rotting. “Right now, I wake up every morning and I go out to make sure my car is still there, make sure the tires still have air, there’s no broken glass on the ground, there’s no weird stuff going on.…It’s so prominent in mind, the first thing [when] you wake up is you’re stressed out,” says Kayla. “The area is very rough, there’s always shootings, [and] kids don’t feel safe going outside.”
She has wanted to purchase a home for a long time, “but the stars never quite aligned for me in that sense,” she says. No matter how much she worked to save money and build her credit, her efforts never seemed to be enough.
Although Kayla had heard of Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity, she didn’t know much about our homeownership program until her friend Monya shared her own experience and encouraged Kayla to apply for homeownership. (Monya’s home was constructed as Pikes Peak Habitat’s third annual Veterans Build.)
When she got the phone call saying she had been selected as a future Pikes Peak Habitat homeowner, “I kind of saw light at the end of the tunnel,” Kayla says, growing emotional. “You get so many doors slammed in your face for so long that [when] you finally get a yes, it’s overwhelming.”
Kayla is excited about the sweat equity she’ll put into her new home. “There’s a pride that comes with it. You can go into your home and say, ‘I did that.’ I think there’s a pride that you can pass down to your kids, you know, you did this; your hands did this.” She continues, “I think there’s a learning process, and I think it’s good for people to know that stuff, especially as a homeowner.”
She appreciates the opportunities that homeownership will give her and her children. “My son can unpack!” she says. She looks forward to her children not having to change schools and “being able to make friends and keep those friends throughout school.” Thinking to the future, she anticipates the benefits for them of having a stable home base. “If they choose to go to…college, having a home to come back to, I think that’s a huge thing,” she says.
In the shorter term, Kayla looks forward to small pleasures that many people take for granted. “My son, he loves basketball. I would love to put up a hoop…for me that’s his freedom. He’s never been able to do that,” she explains. “So I would love to be able to wake up and make breakfast and he gets up and puts his shoes on and goes outside and bounces the ball around, and maybe a couple boys in the neighborhood come and play, too. And maybe my daughter…she’s got friends sleep over ‘cause she’s never had a sleepover.”
Her daughter adds, “It’s nice to be able to go to an actual home and call it our own. We can get pets, live in a safe neighborhood, and have friends over.”
For herself, Kayla loves the idea of a garden. “I would love to plant flowers, be able to go out and water those, and just the little things I think people don’t always think of.”
Throughout the struggles, Kayla’s faith in God has sustained her. “God has been faithful, we’ve never gone without, he’s kept us safe despite our many living situations and backgrounds, and I know this is just the beginning!” she says.
To the volunteers who will help with construction on her new home, she says, “Thank you for your time, thank you for your hard work, thank you for seeing the value in us when no one else did. Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus, and thank you for blessing the least of these!”
About the 3rd George Hammond Build -- Honoring Tim Trowbridge
The George Hammond Award was created by the Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors in April 2018 to honor the legacy, extraordinary service, and outstanding contributions of longtime volunteer George Hammond.
The George Hammond Award honors individuals who, through their tireless service to Pikes Peak Habitat, have exhibited qualities of leadership, an unwavering belief in Habitat’s ministry, and a deep devotion and passion to serve the community and people of El Paso County, CO.
The 3rd George Hammond Home will be constructed in The Ridge at Sand Creek development and dedicated in honor of Tim Trowbridge. The build name and associated funding efforts surrounding it will be branded as 3rd George Hammond Home – Honoring Tim Trowbridge.