Building Equity

Building Equity

Keara remembers growing up and hearing her parents say that they need home insurance on their home. However, they did not qualify for insurance because of the poor condition of the roof. 

Keara has since inherited the home from her parents and is now working to make it a safe home for her and her family.

There are holes in the roof, squirrels in the attic, and they are worried about possible water damage. 

“It is a ticking time bomb,” Keara’s partner Bernard said. 

Now, with the help of Milwaukee Habitat’s Critical Home Repair Program, they are getting their roof repair done at an affordable price. 

Keara and Bernard are looking forward to the peace of mind that a new roof will bring. 

“[With a roof], we won’t be worrying about rain or storms [in the same way],” Keara said. “Now we have signed papers and it is happening. It gives us permission to move on to other things that need work.”

Before looking into Habitat to do the repair, Keara and Bernard went through a bank to try to get a loan. They were told that their house value was too low and were turned away. 

Without Habitat’s Critical Home Repair Program, they would have had to wait and save up enough money for the repair. However, by the time they saved up for the pricey repair, their roof likely would have been causing more issues for their home. 

If you own your own home in this area you may qualify!

“Without Habitat, we would have waited and overpaid,” Keara said. “Maybe we would have gotten more water damage.” 

They are looking forward to this step in homeownership and finally getting the home insurance Keara and her parents have always wanted for this home. 

“We want equity and this roof repair could give us that and give us the sense that we are homeowners and that what we have is valuable,” Keara said.