Looking Ahead to 2026 with Tamara

Looking Ahead to 2026 with Tamara

While many of us craft our resolutions for the new year, Tamara has her sights set on achieving a huge dream. In 2026, she will buy her first home.

Tamara is partnering with Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity to build and purchase a brand-new, affordable home for her and her two children. As she looks ahead, she pictures the moment they walk into their home for the first time.

“I just get this vision that it is going to be an abundance of feelings,” Tamara said. “I’m going to cry. The first thing is relief. I will bask in this feeling and twirl around like this is mine. I will pray and be thankful. There will be a lot of tears and I’m not a crier. I kept praying to God that all I want is to be approved for my home. Even though I’m in the program, I still have work to do. Sign that paper and sign that paper, cut the ribbon and open the door, scream, and yell.”

Through Milwaukee Habitat’s Affordable Homeownership program, first-time homebuyers can build a brand-new home with little-to-no down payment and receive coaching, education, and support to be successful in their home-buying journey. 

Becoming a homeowner is Tamara’s number one goal, and her children, ages twelve and two, continue to motivate her to accomplish that dream.

“I’ve been paying rent since I was 17,” Tamara said. “If I’ve been paying rent all these years, I can get a house. It’s an aspiration of mine. I need a roof over my head for my kids.” 

She hopes the home-buying process will inspire her children to set goals for themselves and work hard to achieve them.

“They get to see a new side of financial knowledge that they didn’t see before,” Tamara said. “I think it will show my 12-year-old son to always strive for what you want, to have that goal in place. Don’t stop until you obtain that goal. Sometimes you have to detour but that’s okay, you can come back around. The ways that your friends are able to get somewhere might not be yours. Everyone has their own path. Everyone has their own way in life.”  

For Tamara, Milwaukee Habitat’s Affordable Homeownership program was the perfect fit for many reasons. She loves that her home will be brand new and that she will be the first to live in it. More than that, she appreciates how Milwaukee Habitat is pouring back into the community.

“What really sold us is that… you’re putting money back into the community,” Tamara said. “When a house is yours, you take care of it more. When you put it back into the community, you look out for each other, look after each other. That’s what sold the deal. When you told me about the neighborhood, my grandmother’s house was two blocks away. We were always there when we were younger.” 

As the new year approaches, Tamara is stepping into a year of possibility. In 2026, she will not just open the door to a new house, but to the stability and opportunity that homeownership provides.