Monique is originally from the St. Petersburg area and has lived in St. Johns County for 30 years. She has worked for the YMCA for 26 of those years and is now the Family Programming Coordinator, tirelessly corralling kids all day, working evenings, and supervising other staff members.

When Monique divorced 4 ½ year ago, she really struggled to find a manageable rental. “I moved every year trying to find a place I could afford, not ever finding it.” It was a challenge for a single mom, financially on her own raising a teenage daughter after 25+ years of marriage. Monique was working with a financial counselor to repair her credit, and when she was ready, the counselor recommended Monique apply for a Habitat St. Johns home.

“I was apprehensive,” Monique shares. “I didn’t think I would meet the criteria. Income vs. expenses was a bit of a battle for me. I still needed to work on my credit—but I didn’t give up! I had a goal and I knew it was attainable. I worked really hard to achieve homeownership on my own, something I thought I’d never do.”

Monique’s younger daughter is 18 now and will be moving into the Volusia Woods home as well. Monique says they are both “super excited. It’s been so long since I’ve owned a place–this is my daughter’s first stable home since she was a toddler.

“Ownership definitely is a different feeling. We’re both looking forward to having a place to call home, a place of our own. Not worrying about rent going up.  My daughter knows that she’ll now have a ‘real home,’ and I have peace of mind that I’ll be able to pass this on to her. And it’s a great community! All the future homeowners have worked together, shared our stories together. They’re all hard-working people. It’s amazing.”

If there’s one thing Monique would like to tell Habitat’s supporters, it’s “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for making a dream come true.”

And if she thought the dream couldn’t get any better, she was wrong!

Monique was unsure how she was going to get herself moved into her home. She shared with a coworker that she was prepared to make many, many trips in her own vehicle. Well, the coworker knew that many of their colleagues had trucks and SUVs, and she recruited them to help with the move. Monique explains, “I had 22 helpers helping me move! I was completely moved within an hour!  I had both of my daughters and grandson helping, along with my Aunt Linda from Orlando.  The rest were my extended YMCA family with all their support.  Haley, who is our associate executive director at the Y, made this move happen for me. She also placed a banner on the front of the house, and flowers.  The banner read WELCOME HOME.  Of course we were all in tears.  Tears of joy.”

Being part of our community and also having a tight-knit work family is what Habitat St. Johns is all about—bringing people together to build homes, community, and hope. Together, we build a better future!