Building a Home, One Room at a Time 

Building a Home, One Room at a Time 

When Jonia thinks about her new home, she already knows how she wants two of the bedrooms to look. Her three-year-old son loves Spider-Man and dinosaurs, so his room will have plenty of room for two of his favorite things. Another room will have a safari theme, with a crib in the corner.

That room is waiting for their family’s newest addition, a baby boy who is due at the end of September.

These rooms will be new for her family, as Jonia works to build a brand-new home with Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity.  

At first, Jonia was nervous to become a homeowner, but her children inspired her to take the next step.

“Getting older and having kids made me realize it was time for me to start making a better life for me and my kids,’ Jonia said. “I’m ready to turn a house into a home for me and my kids. I’m ready to be stable in life and build from the ground up. I’m ready to live a happy life where I don’t have to keep moving. I’m excited to start a new life with the kids.”

Her mother also played a part in Jonia’s homeownership journey. Jonia’s mom purchased her first home earlier this year and encouraged Jonia to do the same. As Jonia works to purchase her own home, she is not only following in her mother’s footsteps, but becoming the first of her nine siblings to purchase a home of her own. 

Employees from Milwaukee Tool, the sponsor of Jonia’s home, volunteering on site

Family is a large part of Jonia’s life and something she wants to fill her home with.

“I’m a family person,” Jonia said. “I want to have holiday parties, cookouts, and gatherings. I want a movie theatre and a pool in the backyard. When I was downtown in an apartment, I didn’t have company over. I was the only place that people couldn’t come to. I could never have them come over and enjoy myself because I want to respect the people living around me. But now when I buy my own home, now I can be the house that everybody comes to. I want to be that house.”

Jonia is excited to be partnering with Milwaukee Habitat to purchase her home.

“I feel like it is a good investment because I never thought I could do something like this, be a part of something like this,” Jonia said. “It’s affordable. To be able to get a brand-new house built from the ground up. Who wouldn’t want to do it. I’m set.”

For Jonia, homeownership means stability and comfort.

“Homeownership is going to mean I don’t have to live in fear of moving and live in fear of making something that’s not mine into a home,” Jonia said. “It’s going to feel like now I can actually move on with my life, achieve something I’ve wanted to for a long time.”

Homeownership will also give Jonia more opportunity to build the future she wants. She has been a pharmacy tech at Columbia St Mary’s for four years and has dreams of doing even more.

“I’m going to work on going back to school,” Jonia said. “I want to go back to school for nursing. I want to continue going on with my life, building my life.”

For her kids, this home will mean “everything.”

“They’re not going to have to worry about switching rooms and going to a new environment,” Jonia said. “It will mean everything to me and to them; this is their home. They can make it into whatever they want. He can do whatever he wants to his room and I can actually make it his and somewhere he is comfortable staying at. It’s the first big thing that’s going to be his.”

Every day, Jonia is one step closer to opening the door to her home. She knows it will be a life-changing moment. 

“It is a big achievement,” Jonia said. “It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever done. It’ll feel good to finally have something that’s mine.”

When that moment comes, Jonia will know she has built more than a house. She built stability, opportunity, and a place her kids can call home.

There will be a room for dinosaurs and Spider-Man, and a safari themed room for her new son. They will be spaces that belong to her children, in a home they won’t have to worry about leaving.