Tonya Aldridge
Tonya Aldridge found Nashville Habitat when she wandered off her usual path. As she was driving down Harding Place, she saw Habitat Build signs and decided to see where they led. Little did she know that one turn off of her regular route would change her life forever: physically, emotionally and spiritually.
I was living in a small two-bedroom apartment with my two boys, who shared a room. The neighborhood was not safe, and I was always scared someone might break in. One day I took a detour off Harding Place to follow the signs that beckoned “Habitat,” but I was too nervous to stop. Every day after that, I would ride by the four houses under construction in Providence Park and pray that one day I would have the courage to ask someone about the program. The next month, when I saw the next four houses going up, I finally stopped to ask for a phone number.
When I applied and was accepted, I was so excited that I had to go outside and jump and shout, “I got it! I got in!” Not only would I be able to buy a home of my own, I would be living in a neighborhood full of folks who had the same dream and worked just as hard as I did to get there.
For months, I worked my full time job as a pharmacy tech all week, and on weekends I was on the build site helping other families build their homes before I could build mine. It was a job worth waiting for.
My home is the best thing that has happened to me and my two boys. They have their own rooms, a safe place to play with friends, and a backyard of their own. Nashville Habitat has helped me in so many ways. The church that sponsored and helped build my house took us in as their own. I have found more love and friendship in the people who built my home than ever before. There is more of God’s love in Bellevue Community Church than I have ever seen. They are like family to us.
Nashville Habitat has brought great joy to my family – not just for me, but also for my two young sons. I want to thank Habitat from the bottom of my heart for the difference they have made. They changed our lives forever.
“My home is the best thing that has happened to me and my two boys. They have their own rooms, a safe place to play with friends, and a backyard of their own. I want to thank Habitat from the bottom of my heart for the difference they have made. They changed our lives forever.” – Tonya Aldridge