Built on a Promise

Built on a Promise

Sharisse has always been someone who takes care of others.

She volunteers with children and people experiencing homelessness. She promised her father she would always take care of her mom. And when life suddenly turned uncertain, she was determined to protect her family.

Today, she and her mom, Lenora, are building a home with Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity.

As the second oldest of Lenora’s five children, she’s taken the lead on the family’s homeownership journey.

Although homeownership has been a goal of Sharisse’s for some time, a difficult renting situation made her realize the importance of homeownership in a new way. 

For as long as she lived in her rental, Sharisse cared for it like it was her own, and her landlord seemed to appreciate it. But after she spent extra time fixing up the yard, everything changed. Through the doorbell camera, she overheard her landlord telling a repairman he planned to sell the home. He had never mentioned it to her.

“I talked to him and it blew up,” Sharisse said. “I’m never going to be in this situation again.” 

Without clear communication or enough time to prepare, Sharisse knew she had to get her family out quickly.

“We were on a timeline, but didn’t know what the timeline was,” Sharisse said. “The landlord wasn’t sharing. There was a lot of uncertainty with where we would be renting. I have X amount of time to make a move for my family or we’re going to be homeless. We can’t be homeless because I advocate for the homeless.”

That experience pushed Sharisse to seriously pursue homeownership.

A member of the Legacy Society, a sponsor of Sharisse and Lenora’s home, volunteering on site. Their home is also sponsored by the Presbyterian Coalition.

“Not knowing how much time we had pushed me into homeownership,” Sharisse said. “It would be total control of how I manage life and a house.”

As Sharisse researched homeownership options, she realized that together, she and Lenora qualified for a Habitat home.

“I said ‘Mom, we always talk about generational wealth’,” Sharisse said. “We focus on having something with my family and will it out to someone else later… If something should happen to me and my mom, I could pass it along to a sibling.”

They applied to Milwaukee Habitat’s Affordable Homeownership program and are now building a brand-new, three-bedroom home.

“She takes charge,” Lenora said about Sharisse. “I said, ‘Sharisse this is so much.’ She said ‘Mom, we’re going to do it. And we’re going to look around and say this is mine.’”

Sharisse and Lenora recently moved out of their old rental and now have a place to live before moving into their Habitat home. Searching for a new place to live and moving quickly was not easy.

“Life has been very hectic. There’s been a lot going on with moving,” Sharisse said. “I felt like this was a test. If I made it through this hard part, I can make it through the next hard part. Following your goal, there’s going to be circumstances and situations that try to interrupt your journey.

I wanted to stay on target. Now I’m here. We’ll follow the process and we’ll be fine. There’s a reason why we are here. Anytime there’s a goal, there’s going to be obstacles. Once you make it through those, you reach that end point. Mission accomplished.”

As Sharisse and Lenora build their new home, they reflect on some of the quiet forces that have influenced them to get here. Although he is no longer here, Sharisse’s dad has remained a guiding presence throughout this journey. Lenora met him at 18 and they got married at 19. He passed away from cancer and his presence is still felt today. 

“My mom has been with me all my life,” Sharisse said. “I told my Dad before he passed that I promise she would be taken care of. He went peacefully knowing she would be okay… This home is another important step for me in following what I committed to my Dad. He would say ‘I knew you would be able to handle it.’”

For Sharisse, homeownership isn’t just about buying a house. It’s about honoring family, building generational wealth, caring for her mom, and becoming the person she promised she would be. Soon, this journey will end at the front door of a home they can finally call their own.

“I’ve felt it already,” Sharisse said. “I felt a breath of fresh air. Releasing everything that didn’t go well and everything that is all yours now. It will mean being at peace. Peace and serenity.”

For Lenora, that future is almost impossible to imagine without getting emotional.

“Sharisse said it would be a ‘new season Momma’,” Lenora said. “I’m going to get teary eyed. This is ours.”