What your support makes possible

You might call it a dream deferred. 

For 6 years, Raquel and Sam dreamed of moving out of their substandard basement apartment, which had problems with mold, cold and the threat of being evicted at a moment's notice.

In 2012, Raquel filled out an application for her family to partner with Paterson Habitat to build a decent, affordable home of their own.  Then she tucked the application into her Bible --- where it stayed for two years.

She didn't forget about the application, far from it. Every Sunday the Bible and the application went to church with the family, active members of the One In Christ Church in Paterson.  And every Sunday Raquel pondered the completed application, praying for the courage to send it in.

"It was fear of rejection, I guess," recalls Raquel, who came to Paterson from the Dominican Republic 17 years ago. "I didn't think we made enough to qualify for a Habitat mortgage.”

Her doubts and fears are long gone.  This year Raquel and Sam along with son Samuel, 15, will move into a home of their own on Governor Street. Their new house will be in Paterson Habitat's 4th Ward focus area, where we're working with community partners to reverse years of urban blight. 

These energy-efficient homes and the families inside them are bringing stability and strength to a neighborhood that's slowly making a comeback.

Raquel earned a commercial truck driver's license and drove 18-wheelers for six years. Now she and Sam both work full-time as bus drivers for an adult daycare center in Clifton. They’re also taking college courses three nights a week.

Like all of the almost 300 Habitat homeowners in Paterson so far, Raquel and Sam are building their home alongside Habitat construction volunteers. And like all Habitat homeowners, Raquel and Sam are financing their home with an affordable mortgage from Paterson Habitat.

Your financial support allows Paterson Habitat to help families like Raquel and Sam’s open the door to a better life through home ownership, while building stronger, stable communities.