The Hisles’ Habitat Experience

Video Transcript

Amanda Hisle:
I’m so thankful for Habitat really helping our family. Our current apartment is very small. We’re very tight. We recently expanded again. We have another little one, so it makes it even more tight.

And we’ve had a few leaks that have not been fixed completely,and the area has been well
known for drug activity. We’re really scared with that because we can’t just let our little boys just out on the sidewalk to play. I want them to be kids, and they can’t be kids there. It’s too scary.

Gary Hisle:
When we got the initial phone call from Helen from Habitat, it was an unexpected phone call,because we had applied but hadn’t got to hear anything for a couple of months.And when we got the phone call, it was a huge surprise. It was a good surprise. A lot of tears were shed during that phone call, but we were excited to get it, and we were eager to get in and get the process moving forward.

Amanda Hisle:
The homeowner’s classes with Habitat was absolutely a blast. Like when you get off from work, you’re tired and ready to go home. I wasn’t. I was getting off work and going to class. We learned a lot financially and just strategically being able to keep up a home. We’ve never done that, and we’re getting ready to go into that headfirst. It’s exciting, and it’s nerve-racking, because you got a lot more responsibilities.But Habitat’s got us prepared for it.

Gary Hisle:
So working alongside Habitat with the staff as well as the volunteers has been a fantastic experience. Everybody’s been super helpful. It’s been great getting to work alongside the volunteers, getting to know them on a personal level and just really becoming like family with everybody. And the sweat equity gives you a great appreciation for when you are able
to move into your new home.

Amanda Hisle:
With having a Habitat house, we would now financially be stable enough to look into the future and be able to put back for the boys and put into their savings account like
we’ve never got to do before. We’re ready to do that and, Habitat making that happen.

Gary Hisle:
We’re excited to be able to be in our new home for Christmas, for the holiday
season, again, to start new traditions. We’ve always been talking about going out, getting a live tree and just having an old fashioned family Christmas. So being able to start that tradition this year has been really exciting. And sharing all the new experiences that come with being in a new home for your Christmas morning is going to be an exciting thing to see the look on the boys’ face.