A Place to Grow and Pray

A Place to Grow and Pray

After more than a decade of paying rent to live in the same house, Jalisa is ready to take the next step: investing in a home to call her own. With few homeowners in her family, she’s determined to change that narrative, paving the way forward and setting a powerful example for her 13-year-old son about what’s possible.

Jalisa first learned about Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity when she saw an old acquaintance of hers holding a Habitat key in a Facebook post. That’s when she started looking into the program and realized it would be a great fit for her and her son.

“I have been doing my research on Habitat,” Jalisa said. “This Habitat thing is good… It’s affordable.”

Earlier this month, Jalisa officially began building a brand-new home in partnership with Milwaukee Habitat.

“It means a lot; it’s something to grow with,” Jalisa said. “I’ll grow in it and grow with it.”

Employees from Accunet Mortgage, the sponsor of Jalisa’s home, posing for a photo while volunteering on site.

Jalisa is a deeply spiritual person and knows that the Milwaukee Habitat experience goes beyond paying an affordable mortgage.

“It’s good for my spirit,” Jalisa said. 

As she imagines her new home, Jalisa already knows what each room will hold. Both Jalisa and her son will have their own bedrooms. Her son, who plays football and enjoys action figures, may be inspired by those hobbies when decorating his space.

“Football is his thing,” Jalisa said. “He is a good guy. I thank God for him every day. This house and his own room is going to mean a little bit of freedom for him: mental freedom, independence, his growth.”

Jalisa’s third bedroom will embody the spirit and calmness that grounds her.

“I’m going to turn one of the rooms into a prayer closet,” Jalisa said. “I am ready to decorate. I am ready to start. It will be spiritual with biblical scriptures in there. I will get a little cross. It will be somewhere you can go that’s quiet. You can pray and bring the lord in.”

Jalisa also hopes to start a bible study group and is excited about the possibility of finding or starting one near her future home. 

“I’m trying to do something that God wants me to do,” Jalisa said. “I am growing, learning, understanding life, being someone that God uses to speak through.”

As Jalisa looks ahead to the day she moves into her new home, she anticipates a sigh of relief and a sense of pride. 

“It will be a good, blessed feeling,” Jalisa said. “I’ve come so far. It will be that feeling that you’ve come so far to get so far. My shoulders, I will let them down…This process means a lot to me. I am very grateful.”

While Jalissa is building her brand-new home and preparing to become a first-time homeowner, she knows she is investing not only in her son’s future, but also in her own growth and spirit.