Mother of two feels blessed with new home
RUSSELLVILLE — Four years ago, Amber Robinson was homeless. Now she is a first-generation college graduate and the owner of a brand-new home, thanks to Habitat for Humanity of Pope County.
“I am absolutely blessed,” Robinson said. “I came to this town, and I hardly knew anyone. My church family and my work family came in, and they took me under their wing. They didn’t judge me but, instead, supported me.
“They just genuinely want to see you succeed and do well. I’m from a big city, and this town that I now call home has been nothing but good to me, and most importantly, my babies.”
After about six months of going through the application process for a Habitat home and breaking ground on her house around September, Robinson was finally able to move into her new house on June 12.
“My two children now have their own rooms, after living in a two-bedroom apartment, and we now have more than one bathroom, and my kids have a yard, so they can go out there and play,” she said.
Robinson and her two children, Nevaeh, now 8, and Kai, now 7, moved here in February 2016 from Phoenix, Arizona. Robinson had just ended a “not-so-good relationship” and needed a fresh start, she said. A friend she had grown up with lived in Arkansas and convinced Robinson to move to the state and give it a try to see if she would like it.
However, by the end of June of that year, Robinson’s friend abruptly moved to Oklahoma, leaving Robinson and her children, who had been staying with the friend, without a place to live.
“I had a part-time job, but I didn’t have anything saved up, so we didn’t really have a choice but to end up in a hotel,” she said. “I didn’t have any family here. I didn’t have a car, and I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I just believed God would make a way.”
In May of last year, Robinson saw an announcement on Facebook that those who were interested in applying for a house through Habitat for Humanity should attend an upcoming meeting. Robinson said she didn’t care what she had to do; she was going to be at that meeting.
“After that initial meeting, there were four or five different stages before I was chosen in August,” she said. “Habitat’s mantra is, they give a hand up, not a hand out, so I still have a mortgage, and I had to take classes and learn about ordinances and construction, and I had to be at the construction site as well, giving volunteer hours.
“I also had to get people to help volunteer. I don’t have any family here, but I did have help from the community, Arkansas Tech and my church family — they all came to help.”
Shenel Sandidge, executive director for Habitat of Humanity of Faulkner County and the interim director for Pope County, said Robinson completed all the volunteer hours and classes to fulfill her stipulations.
“She is very humble,” Sandidge said. “She is the mother of two children, and the kids are her life. She’s a Christian and is very mild-mannered and quite appreciative. This is a dream come true for her, owning her own home.”
Sandidge said seeing the family move into their new home is one of the best rewards of her job, “to see the finished product after seeing how it started and how it ended. When we did the dedication, the children were just so excited to have their own rooms. … That is the highlight of my job — seeing the family blessed with a new home.”
Robinson, who is a member of City Church in Russellville, said her faith is a big part of her story. She also wanted to be sure to mention how grateful she was for the Pope County Habitat board members, the volunteers, the companies that provided lunch, her work and her
church family. She said she is truly amazed and thankful for everyone involved.
Robinson graduated from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville in May with a degree in management and marketing. She said it took her 16 years to get the degree because “life just kept taking me back and forth, and I would have to take just one class or stop taking classes altogether.
“My goal, once I got to Arkansas, was to earn my degree, and I was finally able to stay on track and finish it.”
Robinson said she hasn’t yet decided what she wants to do with the degree. She currently works as a deputy clerk for the Pope County Circuit Courts Office and loves her job, she said, and finishing her degree was more about wanting to do something for herself and to show her children it is something they can accomplish.
“Life has so many things that can happen, and when you feel there is no hope, and everything is coming against you, there is still hope,” she said. “You can’t do it alone. Things can get better. I was homeless four years ago, and I had nothing. Now I’m a homeowner and a college graduate.”
Robinson said that at one point, she wanted to give up on life and didn’t want to live anymore, but she is so glad she is still here.
“I hope someone will listen to my story, and if they feel like giving up, or have made some mistakes that have knocked them off track in life, they need to know that there is still more to come, and they need to continue to fight and not give up,” Robinson said. “When you think you can’t go on anymore, you can.
“I am just so appreciative to God, my church family and my work family — they have been really supportive. Last semester, I had to build a house, raise two kids and finish school. I don’t know how I did it, but I did.” Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.