Tornado survivor to get Habitat house
First-time homeowner with ‘growth mindset’ had applied 5 years ago.
Habitat for Humanity TROTWOOD — of Greater Dayton is helping a Trotwood tornado survivor become a first-time homeowner.
Erica Bohannon and her son, Chace, 12, fled into a closet in their Westbrooke Village apartment when the Memorial Day Tornado swept through Trotwood. The storm left them with almost nothing — clothes were the only thing salvageable from the damage.
“Even through something so tragic and super-duper scary, beautiful things like this can happen,” Bohannon said of her new home. “It just takes a little bit of time, a lot of faith and a lot of endurance and strength.”
Norm Miozzi, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Dayton’s executive director, held a dedication ceremony on Friday where Bohannon’s new house will stand. Attending were officials from the nonprofit, the county and city.
“We are thrilled,” said Carolyn
Rice, Montgomery County Commissioner. “Another example of opportunities for new beginnings.”
Bohannon applied for and was accepted into the Habitat program five years ago and has been waiting patiently.
The week before the tornadoes, she received a call that the home’s foundation was being laid that week but would be delayed because of the tornadoes.
“It has been a dream of mine since I was able to dream,” Bohannon said. “And transforming my mind from a poverty mindset (to a) growth mindset.”
Two days after the tornadoes, Bohannon called Miozzi and told him she’d lost everything.
Bohannon is not only the first person in her family to graduate from college but will also be the first to own her own home. She is a 2005 graduate of Trotwood-Madison and a 2016 graduate of Central State University with a degree in early childhood education. The year she graduated from CSU, she was named Ohio student teacher of the year.
Bohannon is working towards her master’s degree from the University of Dayton and is an education specialist at Mini University.
This Habitat home is a women-build project, which means most all of the workers on this home are women.
“This is just the first of many projects,” Miozzi said. “Part of the long-term recovery group, we are committed to being involved in not just new construction, but rebuilding.”
Habitat for Humanity looks to bring housing opportunities to families that make between 30 to 60 percent of the area’s medium income.
Those who received homes pay no more than 30 percent of their annual income, which is considered an affordable amount, according to Miozzi.
Miozzi said the new home should be built within the next four months.
Visit Habitat’s website to find out ways to get involved in new projects. Contact this reporter at 937225-0730 or email Emily. Kronenberger@coxinc.com.