Melody Woodard works full-time and gets paid weekly. The problem is that half of her net income goes to pay the rent!

Unfortunately, too many people in our community face a similar challenge. When housing costs take a huge bite out of their paychecks, it becomes difficult to pay for other necessities (like healthy food and prescriptions) and nearly impossible to save money.

That will change when Melody helps build and then purchases her new Habitat home in College Station.

“We are ready to move,” said Melody, who will share the home with her two sons: Malik, 19; and Marcus, 18.

None of them will miss the home they have rented for the past nine years. It has a multitude of issues, including a shifting foundation, poor insulation, cracked flooring, a sagging ceiling and mold.

The new Habitat home will provide the family with a solid foundation for a brighter future. Melody’s sons have graduated from high school (one in 2017 and the other this year) and are weighing their career options. And Melody is ready to take on the responsibility of paying a mortgage for the next 20 to 30 years.

“Knowing I’ll have my own home with my kids makes me strive for more,” she said.

Melody and her sons have already surpassed the 500 required hours of sweat equity. She’s worked at the ReStore and helped build the homes of other Habitat families. It hasn’t been easy, but Melody has found it to be a discovery process.

“I realized I had more in me than I thought I did,” she said. “And I’ve enjoyed meeting new people, especially other family members. We give each other advice.”

It won’t be long until the walls of the Woodard home are raised.

The Woodard family home is sponsored by Karen Smith and Smith Dairy Queens and Ernie and Arla Prochaska. This will be the fifth time that Karen Smith and Smith Dairy Queens have sponsored a home and the first time for Ernie and Arla Prochaska.

We are deeply grateful for their financial contributions, as is the Woodard family. Melody wants the sponsors of her home to know the depth of her appreciation. “We owe it all to God, but we also owe it to you. Otherwise, we couldn’t get to where we are. Thank you!”

Melody’s home is also a part of the Carolina Street Project, which is funded by the HOME Investment Partnerships Program provided by the City of College Station. We want to extend a special thank you to the City of College Station’s Community Development Department and City Council. These homes would not be possible without their support.