Don't struggle — if you need help, ask. It's there for the giving.
That's the simple truth as told by Ilieana Villaman, 26, a mother of three and new owner of a Habitat for Humanity home in Lee County.
Issues with safe and affordable housing were a barrier to her finding someplace for her family to live.
"I felt so like, defeated. I felt very tired. I felt like, Okay, this is going to be my life like the next few days for a few years. I need to make it work," she said. "And then I was like, I can't do this a few months. And I was like, I can't do this. My kids need me there. They need me to be present. They need me to be happy. And at the time, I was not happy. I was really sad a lot. I felt like they felt like I was stuck. I felt like I was gonna be stuck there for a while."
Again, safety, affordability. Those seemed insurmountable for Villaman.
"I was looking for apartments, and some of them, they were sort of like, I could afford it, but the conditions that they were in, like, it just didn't feel safe," she said. "And then my dad told me about Habitat. I looked into it, I was like, No, I need that. I need that for my babies, and we need that."
The waiting was the toughest part for her.
"While I was waiting to hear back from habitat, I just, I was freaking out. I'm like, Oh my gosh. Like, I know I need this, but there's so many other people, like in Lee County, that need help," she said. "So I was a little worried that I was just gonna be there forever."
Becky Lucas, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry counties, said Villaman's wait was worth it for her:
"We work with families every single day that are in very, very difficult housing conditions. I think that what makes her story feel feel so unique though, to us, is that it was such a win-win partnership. And when she came to us, she came to us with a need, and we were able to meet that need and work together toward her housing solution, and she had a lot of perseverance, and she made a lot of sacrifices."
After getting approved, Villaman completed more than 300 hours of sweat equity, attended over 20 hours of homeownership education classes and contributed $2,000 toward her closing costs.
She was handed the keys to her new four-bedroom, two-bathroom home during a dedication ceremony Jan. 23.
"It's just amazing. If you need help, ask for help. Please don't struggle because you think you need to go through it to make it through. Like, there's so many resources out there," she said. "There's so many resources like, and there's so many beautiful people out there that are, like, willing to help. They want to help, but if you don't ask for help, like, no one's gonna help you. And please don't struggle. If you have children, please don't struggle, find help."
McNeill Village is a 10-acre HOA-managed community near the border of North Fort Myers and Cape Coral. At completion, the neighborhood will feature 36 single-family homes with two floorplan options, each with a garage, lanai and covered entryway.
Villaman’s home is the first Habitat has built and dedicated through the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program to address single-family housing needs following Hurricane Ian.
Lucas explained the program: "This home is one of eight that we have received final inspections on this week, and then one of 14 that we will be building through a unique federal grant that was made available after Hurricane Ian, specifically for sustainable housing in our county. This is a reimbursement grant, and what that means is that we all as a community, we put in the work, and then once a family moves in, we will get a portion of those costs reimbursed to us, and this just will allow us to build more in the future."
To learn more about Habitat for Humanity’s mission and its Affordable Homeownership Program, please visit Habitat4Humanity.org.
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