Jennie currently works for AVIVA Life Insurance Group. She is a Specialist in the customer service and claims department. She also attends school at William Penn to complete her degree in business, which she hopes will help her advance within the company and further develop her professional skills.
Besides her full-time job and a busy school schedule, Jennie spends her free time with her three children, Rodney (5), Dreshawn (7), and Tyneicia (12). They enjoy swimming, watching movies, and going out for dinner to try new foods together. All the children are very active and enjoy sports and swimming. Tyneicia is very interested in art while the boys like time spent on the computer.
The family currently lives in an inner city duplex with little room for the children to play and study. They have experienced several problems there, including mold and water damage. That impelled Jennie to look into homeownership opportunities, which in turn led to her partnership with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity.
Jennie is more than ready to stop paying rent and own her own home, where she can build equity with mortgage payments and create a positive environment for her children. One aspect of being a homeowner that Jennie looks forward to is having a yard with a garden, and a home that she can decorate any way she likes. Rodney and Dreshawn are very excited to be able to have their own rooms, while Tyneicia is looking forward to getting a dog.
Jennie is very impressed with the Habitat program because it will allow her to become a homeowner and learn about financial responsibility and home maintenance. By purchasing a home, she will also create a sense of stability for her three children. She says that, “being accepted into the Habitat partnership to become a homeowner is one of the biggest accomplishments of her life.”