From Foundation to Home: Three Families Begin Their Next Chapter in Austin

“To my first home!” Courtney exclaimed as she jingled the keys to her new residence in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. Last year, Habitat for Humanity Chicago broke ground on their plans for seven new houses in the West Side community. Three of these homes are now complete, giving Chicago families a place to call home. A home is more than a place to live. It can anchor a family, strengthen connections to a community, and provide stability for years to come. Yet for many households, barriers such as affordability, access to credit, and a lack of information can make homeownership out of reach. The Chicago Community Trust’s Home Lending Partnership and Habitat Chicago work with lenders, housing counselors, and nonprofit partners to make homeownership more accessible in underserved communities.

Habitat Chicago’s Affordable Homeownership Program is one example of that work in action. In addition to building homes, the program helps prepare prospective homeowners through financial education, counseling, and affordable mortgage options designed to make ownership more attainable. The Trust’s grant funding contributed to building the homes, strengthened Habitat’s connections to Austin-based housing counseling and community partners, and helped cover rising construction costs so that the homes could remain affordable to their buyers. The impact of that work can be found in the stories of the homeowners themselves.

After her father offered her a house in Memphis, Ada seriously considered leaving Chicago. But her daughter wanted to remain in Chicago, and Ada was not willing to leave without her. Then Ada’s sister, who had previously become a Habitat homeowner in Memphis, encouraged her to apply for Habitat’s Affordable Homeownership Program. The opportunity allowed Ada to stay in the city she loves as a homeowner. Looking ahead, she is excited to decorate her new home and create something lasting for her family. “It’s something you can pass on from generation to generation,” she said.

Ada also introduced her colleague Natalie to the program. Inspired by her mother’s example as a homeowner, Natalie spent three years searching for a place she could call her own. Throughout that journey, Ada remained one of her biggest supporters. After celebrating their acceptance into the program and learning they would be neighbors, the two women saw their friendship evolve into what they now call a sisterhood. Today, they are already imagining future backyard barbecues and gatherings with family and friends just steps away from one another. Natalie still remembers the reaction from her son when he first saw their new home. “Mama, you deserve this,” he told her.

Excited by the prospect of being neighbors, Ada and Natalie eagerly anticipated the identity of the third future homeowner. That third neighbor ended up being Courtney. Years before Courtney ever held the keys to her new home, she made a promise to her late sister that she would keep the family together by raising her twin nephews. Homeownership offered the opportunity to fulfill that promise while creating a stable place for her family to grow.

“The new Habitat homeowners represent an exciting new chapter in the Austin community,” said Matt Shomo, whose work at the Trust focuses on helping residents access the resources and financing they need to become homeowners, stay in their homes, and build equity over time. “Buying a home is a meaningful moment for families, but also the communities in which they live, and these new homeowners represent the best example of building community through homeownership.”

These three stories reflect the deeper purpose behind expanding access to homeownership. Each homeowner arrived by a different path, but all three now share something in common: a place to put down roots in Austin.