Unhappy living in a rough neighborhood in a mobile home rife with mold, which aggravated her daughters’ asthma, Sarah Bissonette resolved to change her situation. In January 2009, she completed a GMHfH application; in March, she was accepted. Though her hopes were high, Sarah found it difficult to trust that this dream would actually come true.

Then early in the GMHfH process, she split with her partner. As a full-time college student, she could no longer fulfill the financial requirements of the GMHfH program. However, determined to get this house for her girls, Sarah found a full-time job in order to maintain her eligibility, taking a temporary hiatus from school.

The 400 hour “sweat equity” requirement for couples was reduced to 250 hours for Sarah as a single applicant, but she still completed 500+ hours on the building site. Routinely, after work hours, she brought her girls - Jadden, 6, Kylie, 4, and Maddison, 2, to the build site so they could see their house progress. Her program advocate, Ruth Magill, says, “Sarah was committed. She was determined to fulfill her responsibilities. She was not going to lose this opportunity to have her own house. She wanted a decent place for her children.”

Sarah’s hard work and commitment paid off. On October 16, 2009, she closed on the house and brought her girls to the dedication ceremony. Sarah says, “Up until the dedication, I felt numb, like I didn’t want to believe it was actually going to happen. But on the day of the closing and the dedication, it felt real. It felt so good.” When asked what the GMHfH process meant to her, Sarah says, “We gained so many people in our family, many new friends. I got really close to a couple of the volunteers, like Greg (Jackson). He was my partner through the whole process.”

It has taken the better part of the past three months for Sarah’s new reality to sink in. The girls love their new house, and Sarah is now unpacking those last few boxes. Finally, she and her daughters are home.