‘I am an overcomer’
Montgomery County mom says son’s prayers were answered by Habitat for Humanity
CONROE — A single mother with an autistic son was all smiles when her new home’s construction was revealed.
Standing next to her son Preston, 8, Deanna Fallin, 43, said she has faced adversity throughout her life and has been living at the Montgomery County Women’s Center for more than two years since her divorce.
“I feel like I am more than a survivor. I am an overcomer,” Fallin said Saturday as the construction site of her new Habitat for Humanity home was revealed in Conroe. “It’s overwhelming because I am not used to good things happening to me.”
Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County and Lowe’s are partnering to raise awareness of the global need for safe and affordable housing for women. Lowe’s sponsored the building materials for the Fallin family home.
Fallin said she has had to rise above the pattern of abuse, trauma and difficult circumstances she’s faced since she was a child, and which ultimately led her to the women’s center. While there she learned about Habitat for Humanity.
“In a time when there is a boom in housing across the nation, affordable housing is still such a great need,” said Vicki Johnson, executive director for Habitat Montgomery County. “We really want to continue to raise the awareness about the critical importance of affordable housing stock.”
Fallin was living with family before she came to the women’s center. She said self-esteem issues and not feeling worthy makes it challenging for women to have their own independence. This experience has helped her persevere and build her character while laying a foundation for her and her son’s future, she said.
“I want to empower women that they can be independent, they can make it as a single woman, they can own their own home,” Fallin said. “So many women that were married, whether they were widowed or going through divorce, are learning to do things on their own for the first time, so this is definitely a confidence booster.”
“I feel like once I do this, I can do anything. I can conquer the world,” she said.
After contributing sweat equity by working at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore off Texas 242, the unemployed mother, who dreams of becoming a missionary, was finally able to reveal to her son Friday night that they were going to start building a new house of their own in the 37acre Cedar Creek community.
“Preston has been praying for a house,” Fallin said. “God has answered his prayer. He even asked me a couple of times, ‘Hey mom, what if we built a house?’ And he had no idea. So, this is a total God thing, you know. It’s prophetic, actually.”
Preston said he’s happy to have the option of having a pet, riding a bike, and playing with other children in the neighborhood.
“Picking my own room, and also I might have enough room to move around in the yard,” he said.
The house is one of 300 Women Build projects supporting women-led households across the United States, Canada and India to drive awareness and address the need as well as COVID-19’s impact on women.
The effects of the pandemic have highlighted the need for safe and affordable housing, as 29 percent of renters and 36 percent of homeowners experienced employment income loss between March and September 2020, the event release said.
The pandemic has also had an impact on Habitat for Humanity in Montgomery County. The builds normally only take about four to six months, but due to COVID-19 limitations, including the number of volunteers allowed and mask requirements, they are taking longer.
Fallin’s house is expected to be completed in six to eight months.