Single mom now a home owner
Longmont Inn Between resident is helping build her own house
A single mother is graduating from Inn Between of Longmont to home ownership thanks to Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley.
“A single mother, Olga Martinez, who has been living in The Inn Between of Longmont Supportive Housing program, applied to become a Habitat for Humanity homeowner, with help of our bilingual housing advocate, Leslie Ogeda,” Inn Between of Longmont Development and Associate Director Laura Liotino said.
Martinez, who began putting her 250 hours of “sweat equity” into her Dacono home this week, said, “when I found that my family was selected for a Habitat home, I was full of joy to see the effort and dedication when one works toward your dreams.”
“My reaction first was in gratitude to God for the immense love for my family and those around me,” Martinez said. “This is a great achievement — being able to offer a better future for my daughter gives me peace of mind.”
Liotino said the Latina single mother of one has participated in The Inn Between’s Transitional Housing program since May 2018 and, “during that time, she has been working and paying an affordable rent; even when her employment was affected by the pandemic, she managed to keep on top of her finances to prove to the Habitat Program team that she has the wherewithal to merit homeownership.”
Martinez said she is looking forward to participating in the program, hoping this partnership will help her prove to herself there are no obstacles she can’t overcome.
“The most exciting thing is to be able to have a safe place to live and an investment in the future,” she said.
Both The Inn Between and St. Vrain Habitat homeownership programs work to empower their participants and offers steppingstones to stability through supportive services for its participants.
“Habitat is a next step on the continuum for our participants — designed to give hard-working families the opportunity for homeownership that would not otherwise be a possibility,” Liotino said.
Families participating in the program are selected based on need, the ability to repay an affordable mortgage, willingness to work with family services, invest 250 to 500 hours of sweat equity to build their home, complete formal financial budgeting and counseling and save a required down payment.
“Once a participant is awarded the keys to their home, they pay
an affordable mortgage, which is reinvested to build more homes,” Habitat for Humanity volunteer coordinator Nikki Watt said. “Volunteerism is a crucial aspect that empowers everyone involved by breaking down social barriers — for participants that’s through sweat equity.”
Inn Between staffers say it’s bittersweet to see Martinez leave the program but are happy they were able to help transition her daughter and her into a home they will own.
“It is very exciting when we can see the results of our supportive housing program resulting in permanent homeownership. Our community truly thrives when people achieve this,” Liotino said. “We look forward to seeing the generational effects having a permanent home will have for Olga’s daughter.”