A few words
From Our Homeowners & Volunteers
Homeowner Stories
Future homeowners who partner with Helena Habitat to become homeowners spend a year or more doing the hard work to build their home and prepare financially for homeownership. Click on an image to read their stories!
Hi, I’m Cassandra, but you can call me Cassy. It’s just my son and me, along with our many fur babies, making up our family.
I work remotely as a customer service agent, and we’re thrilled to finally be on the path to owning our own home. After years of renting, the thought of having a place that’s truly ours, where we can create the space we’ve always dreamed of—like painting the walls any color other than white—is incredibly exciting.
The journey to homeownership has been eye-opening, especially with all the paperwork and time it takes. But we chose to partner with Helena Habitat because, in today’s world where everything feels out of reach, they’ve given us hope. This opportunity means so much to me because I want to give my son the kind of home I had growing up—a place filled with love, stability, and strength.
I know it won’t be easy. The process is long, and there will be challenges, but I’m ready to put in the work. In the end, it will all be worth it, because this isn’t just about building a house; it’s about building a home for my family.
We are thrilled to share Elizabeth’s heartfelt journey with Helena Habitat. Since 2018, Elizabeth and her daughter Chrysantha have been part of our vibrant community in Helena. When they received the news that they’d been selected for the Habitat build cycle, their excitement was palpable.
Homeownership has been a dream for Elizabeth, and with this opportunity, she looks forward to creating a stable, loving environment for her family. Elizabeth’s passion for design and construction shines through her role as a Project Manager at CWG Architecture + Interiors, where she’s making dreams come true for others as well.
Elizabeth’s dedication doesn’t stop at her professional life; she’s been a Habitat volunteer for years, helping to build homes for others. Now, she’s excited to see that same support and love extended to her own family and neighbors.
Together with the help of friends, family, and our amazing community, Elizabeth’s dream home is becoming a reality. Here’s to building dreams, creating memories, and the incredible power of community!
Meet Derek Dinwiddie, a CDL Driver for Pepsi who’s achieving a long-held dream: becoming a homeowner!
After years of hard work and never giving up, Derek is finally building his home with Helena Habitat. “Without Habitat, I wouldn’t have been able to afford a home. Building costs are just too high,” Derek shared. From receiving the call from Habitat about being selected to build a home to choosing his home’s colors, every step has been a reminder that perseverance pays off.
Derek is hands-on in the process, learning new trades and working as part of a team. “It gives me pride in myself – I’ve never given up on myself and my goals.”
This journey is a testament to what can happen when you combine determination and support. Here’s to new beginnings and building something lasting!
Meet Ryan Lehman, a dedicated single father of 7 year old twins, and a proud member of the Helena community. Ryan’s journey is a testament to resilience and hope, embodying the spirit of dedication and the power of community.
Since moving to Montana in 2015, Ryan has made a profound impact as a program coordinator and peer support specialist at the John Scott Hannon House. With nearly 5 years of sobriety and a passion for helping others, Ryan’s commitment to his work and his recovery is truly inspiring.
His dream of homeownership through Habitat for Humanity has been a beacon of hope. From the roller coaster of emotions in the application process to the excitement of building a home with his own hands, Ryan’s story is one of perseverance and community spirit.
As he prepares to build his future home alongside his neighbors, Ryan is eager to create lasting bonds and give his children the stability of a place to call their own.
Ryan’s journey highlights the incredible support from Habitat for Humanity and the hard work behind each home built. Despite misconceptions, Ryan and his future neighbors are dedicating up to 18 months of their lives to build not just houses, but a vibrant, supportive community.
Here’s to Ryan and Team Lehman – for their dedication, their strength, and their belief in the power of home and community.
Meet Sadie Hensler, a remarkable widowed mother of four, who has turned her challenges into triumphs. After the heartbreaking loss of her husband to stage 4 cancer, Sadie embarked on a new path as a CNA and dedicated herself to helping others in nursing homes. Despite the hardships, her resilience and positive spirit have guided her to a dream come true: owning her very first home!
Sadie shares, “Becoming a homeowner means so much more than just a new address. It means my children finally have their own rooms and space to grow. After years of living in a small space and sharing one bathroom, having a garage for our bikes and a place to park without scraping off snow feels like a true blessing. I cried tears of utter joy when we were chosen by Habitat for Humanity.”
Now, Sadie is not only building her own future but also helping build homes for others through her work with Helena Habitat. Her story is a testament to the power of hope, community, and the enduring love of a family.
“Johnny, my late husband, has always been my greatest inspiration. His memory has been the driving force behind my positive outlook and the incredible journey I am on today.”
Here’s to Sadie and her family, as they embrace their new forever home and continue to inspire us all with their strength and hope
“My goal has always been to find a place that I could call my own and give my kids a better future, and this home build is a new opportunity for my kids and myself. It will give us a fresh start. It will give us a fresh start, a new beginning. Being able to build a home and eventually move into something that will be permanent will be rewarding.”
Coral works at Family Outreach, a non-profit organization that works with people with intellectual disabilities and developmental disorders. She’s also a beloved member of her communities: already, she’s brought in so many volunteers from her church and workplace to help with the build!
“Even though I quit what I thought would be a lifelong career, I didn’t quit or give up hope of the possibility of potentially being selected to build my own home. It’s been the only thing in life I’ve ever wanted to give my children: a home.”
Amber, who currently works at Melaque Mexican Restaurant, was faced with the decision to give up her job with the highway patrol. Unfortunately, she and her two children Kenidee and Kobe suffered several personal tragedies in a short period of time but in spite of these obstacles, she remains optimistic for the future. Always bubbly at the worksite, Amber is quick to offer a helping hand and an encouraging word to anyone who needs it.
“I know my kids deserve to grow up in a beautiful home that is our own: a place where we could finally feel safe and secure. Owning a home doesn’t just bring a sense of security, but also pride. Since talking to and meeting the wonderful people behind the scenes at Helena Habitat, it has been even more rewarding than I could have thought. Being called a ‘future homeowner’ is like being called the president of the United States. I feel so accomplished! Telling my kids was the best part of it all. They see firsthand how hard I work every day, and they have always been my biggest supporters.”
Katie has been working at Safeway for four years and is immensely proud of her upwards career growth. She cherishes community and family, is extremely close to her grandmother, whom she is also a caretaker for, and she considers her children Davis, Kris, Jaxson, and Katelyn to be fantastic cheerleaders.
“Even with great jobs, we need programs like Habitat to give hard working people a chance at home ownership. I am so grateful to be a part of this program and I understand exactly how special it is to be given this opportunity. This experience has given me even more motivation than ever to help my fellow Montanans get higher pay and the quality of life they all deserve. I certainly want to pay this opportunity forward.”
Cameron works for the State of Montana and supports two children – her son, who is in first grade, and her daughter Anna, who attends Helena College and is working towards a teaching degree. She is passionate about bringing high-paying jobs to Montanans due to her job in economic development! This altruism also shines through at the worksite, where she has naturally taken on leadership roles.
“It has always been my dream to be a homeowner. My parents have never owned a home, and it has always been something I wanted to give to my two kids. This experience is making that dream a reality. Even more surprising — it’s in East Helena School District, where my daughter has been going to school for the last 6 years! My family is so blessed to be a part of the Habitat family and to gain all this knowledge on homeowning and construction.”
Gabby has two children, Easton and Ariana, and they are thrilled at the prospect of living within walking distance to their schools. Gabby herself has been working at Door Systems of Montana for almost five years. At the build, Gabby is always eager to learn and willing to try new things.
“With three kids and a dog, finding affordable housing is difficult. Owning a house means my kids can play freely without bothering neighbors, and I don’t have to worry about finding a place that will accept a dog. Instead of paying rent monthly with nothing to show, I know that every dollar I pay towards my house is an investment. I’m excited to own a house that I know I had a literal hand in building.” Devon is a longtime Helena resident and has been working at the salvage yard for twelve years. A dedicated father, he supports his three young children Derek, Ethan, and Gracie, and their beloved dog.
Finding a home to purchase or rent in Red Lodge has been stressful. Homeownership continues to feel out of reach in Red Lodge, MT because of rising home prices and a lack of affordable housing. My journey to homeownership started with an ad I saw on Facebook from the Red Lodge Community Foundation posting on behalf of Helena Habitat for Humanity. There was a heavy emphasis on time commitment in the initial self-built housing program meetings. I was concerned as a server for Red Lodge Pizza Co, I wouldn’t be permitted the time off to build on busy weekends. My employers were understanding; I’ve been building alongside my future neighbors since October 2022.
I applied for the program last May and wanted it to work out so badly. I was moving to Red Lodge to teach Middle School math and didn’t want to put income towards a rental if I didn’t have to. It has been so fun getting to know my neighbors before being neighbors. We have already talked about having potlucks and wine nights. The work on the houses has been difficult because my skills are in teaching and EMS so I am definitely out of my element. Being able to learn these skills is truly priceless.
My family has struggled for years to find an affordable place to live in Bridger. I figured it wasn’t likely that we would be picked because so many people in this area are in need of housing, but I decided to take a chance and sign up anyway. When I got the call saying my family was picked, I was so surprised, and grateful for this amazing opportunity. It feels great to be able to build a home for my daughter Ramona. The entire experience with Habitat for Humanity this far has been rewarding. Everybody is great company at the job site. I’m looking forward to finishing the program with all these people. Living next to our new friends sounds fun.
We live in a 60-year-old double wide trailer that’s breaking down around us, so to be able to move into a brand-new house where nothing major should happen is exciting and the security from that feels absolutely amazing. I remember my first meeting with Angela and Cassie and getting all the paperwork filled out thinking this is it, this is for real,
now I can breathe and relax it’s really happening. I also remember walking into our first group meeting and being pleasantly surprised that I knew everyone that had been selected for housing. I couldn’t have asked for better neighbors and friends. This journey not only has helped my family to get into a new house of our own but has given me the skills to beer our lives finically. It has given me the tools that I can pass down to my kids, so they have the knowledge about how to stay out of debt and how credit works.
Working With Habitat Is A Rewarding Experience, The Knowledge Gained By Helping Your Neighbors And Yourself In Building Your Home Is Amazing. I Have Learned So Much In The Building Of My Home. My Family And I Look Forward To Many Happy Years And Memories In Our Very Own Home. Thanks Again To All The Hard Working People Who Have Made This Dream A Reality For My Family And I.
Personal homeownership has been my dream since I was just a teenager. I knew I wanted to settle down and have a family of my own, but I didn’t know the path to getting there would be so chaotic. I spent the better part of my adulthood trying to figure out who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do. I’ve moved 30+ times in my life, going with the flow, moving towards new opportunities, and growing as a person. When I had my first child in 2017, I knew it was time to settle into the life I always dreamed of, but I didn’t know how to get there. In February of 2022, I got the call that I had dreamed of, and I was selected! My dream was coming to fruition. I couldn’t believe it! I called everyone I knew and cleared my calendar for the next year. I had grown so much in the last 2.5 years since I initiated this process, but I knew the hardest part was yet to come—the build.
I have rented places since I moved out of my parents’ house, which is how it is supposed to go for a certain amount of time. However, I feel like I am at the point in my life where I want a real place to call home. A place where we can plant flowers in the yard, or she can draw on the sidewalk with chalk. I don’t mind putting in the work on something when it needs to be fixed or if something breaks because things happen. I have been looking for years and the prices of houses were always out of the budget for a single income person. That’s when I started really looking into Habitat as a resource and stated the process of what needed to be done. Even more so now with the huge increase in the housing market.
We started a family in 2008 when we welcomed our first child John Jr. into ours lives we continue to build our family and in 2010 we had our second Zebidiah, in 2011 we had our third Serenity, in 2015 we had our fourth Gabriel and finally we finished with five Shania in 2017. All this time we had tried buying a home and every time something came up that was in the way of finalizing our loan. We even applied for habitat back in 2012 but we were not one of the picks at the time due to our credit. Over the years we have worked our butts off and worked on our credit and in 2019 I reapplied for habitat. When I finally got the call in February of 2022 that we were excepted to build, we were super excited and so grateful all our hard work had finally paid off.
I have 2 amazing kids, Braelyn and Kobe, and they are 15 and 7 years old, a sophomore in high school and a 2nd grader. I am a single parent. I am currently employed through Beartooth Industries here in Red Lodge and I work as a Safety Coordinator and Habtech 1. I’ve worked there for 3 years and I love my job and the individuals I serve.
I chose homeownership through Habitat because I’m struggling to get my own home because of my income. I thought the program was not only a perfect opportunity to learn skills and become a homeowner but really, it’s the only option I have. Homeownership means everything to me because the home will be mine.
Last year, I became a single mother with three kids, renting an upstairs apartment from my boss. That situation would never work out long-term because of having downstairs neighbors, but renting from him was all I could afford, and really, it was all that was available in this area. I stayed on top of everything I needed to do, and the next thing I knew, I was approved, and started building a house – my house.
Building is also the hardest part. Working full-time, so that I can keep up with the kids, bills and life, caring for my three kids and pets, and keeping up with their school, birthdays and holidays, and then building on my day off and one day after work – it’s all a lot.
I’m the proud mother to two amazing sons. As a single parent, my primary focus has always been to provide a sense of safety and security for my children, during the good times and especially amidst the bad. The financial fear that I’ve experienced for years, due to lack of affordable and stable housing, has been bittersweet.
Owning our own home, and working hard towards that goal, have now become a reality thanks to HAHFH and RLACF. I’ve had the privilege of learning new skills related to home construction that will serve me for many years to come. I’ve met amazing people, embraced what I’m capable of, and I’ve forged new friendships with the other people building their homes and my home, the people I work beside twice a week, whom I’ve come to love and admire.
Many years ago, after meeting Brian, and knowing we had a connection, somewhere in a conversation he said if he ever could, he’d buy or build me a house. It was a sweet sentiment that I always remembered, but never expected it all. As life always does, our lives moved on, going in different directions, but he was always in my heart. Fast forward to thirty years later, and we found our way back to each other. Once again, we discussed how it would be nice to own a home together.
I had always heard about how habitat for humanity gave the opportunity for people to be homeowners, and always admired Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter for the work they have done with habitat, but I never imagined that one day I could be one of those people, and to learn that my favorite country singer Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks not work with habitat, that’s the cherry on top!
I am Nadine. Robert and I have three children: Barbaranne, Rosalynn, and Beau. They are 8, 6, and 2. I have lived in Helena for almost 7 years. Robert grew up here in Montana.
Both Robert and I work in the Helena community serving the geriatric community and in transitional care as CNA’s. We have spent a long time trying to make things work. The housing market here is expensive but we love Helena. We utilize several resources here for our children to better their future and maintain their health with specialized care. Habitat has helped us immensely with bridging the gap between what we need and what we can afford. Robert and I are very excited to be building a home for our family.
“For the last 3 years my family and I have had to move from place to place trying to find anything available that was also affordable for a 1 income house hold. While renting we have had homeowners sell the house that we had been living in and that resulted in us having to move before our lease was up once again resulting in my family having to take what was available on the rental market at the time.
This would give me the opportunity to show my daughters what hard work and dedication means in life. The opportunity to help other families achieve this goal of home ownership and be able to make life long friends would mean the world to me. This process has been really great so far!”
My family consists of two, myself and my golden retriever, Sitka. I wanted to be a homeowner because I wanted to take care of myself and invest in my future. I wanted to be able to learn and equip myself with the tools necessary, which led me to Helena Habitat. In my first meeting I didn’t meet the requirements, but I didn’t leave discouraged. Helena Habitat gave me tips and advice on how to meet those requirements, Habitat gave me the tools and knowledge to be a homeowner, and that was all I wanted. Instead of jumping headfirst into
something when I might not be ready for, I have learned to be patient and you can gain independence if you ask for help. This isn’t something you have to do alone.
Holly, Justin, and their family “are forever grateful for the opportunity to be a partner family with Habitat for Humanity.” They knew that a home wasn’t in their near future but persevered, continuing to apply while going through a bit of a waiting game. But in the end, they feel strongly that “the Habitat staff were great about helping in any way they could if need be.”
The time they put in has surely paid off, with “the end reward of being homeowners will be[ing] the absolute best! An added bonus: we get to build and work alongside wonderful people, whom some of those we will be lucky to have as neighbors.”
Jessica and Jonathan, along with their three kids, tried several times to purchase a home the traditional way, but somehow it always fell through due to various obstacles. In hindsight, they “realize now that [Helena Area Habitat for Humanity’s homeownership program is] not just this impossible program to get into and we could have applied years ago and been selected earlier.”
When asked why this means so much to them, Jessica and Jonathan said that “it’s a huge investment that will help provide stability and happiness for us for a lifetime. Our kids will finally get to grow up in a safe home and in a good neighborhood.”
Jackie never envisioned herself as a homeowner. As someone who grew up in Helena, graduated from Helena High, and attended Carroll College, she’s “not only proud to be officially putting down roots but also finally making East Helena home.”
Thanks to the work she did earning “sweat equity” building her house, Jackie learned invaluable new skills, along with the simple fact “that I get to pull up to my own home, one that I built, and it’s incredibly fulfilling. I earned this place, and I can now call it mine.”
Kaila, with her two boys, came to Habitat with a mission to improve her credit score and secure consistent employment in order to qualify for our programs. She kept at it, working closely with Habitat staff to reach the financial qualifications of Habitat homeownership. “Honestly,” she said, “It felt more like a pipe dream than reality.” But in December of 2021, her family moved into their new home. The dream had come true for Kaila and her kiddos.
“To be a part of this program means that I get to provide a home for us to have for them to grow up in, create memories in, and it is a part of a spectacular school district that will benefit their education and futures.”
Amber’s journey with Habitat started after unexpectedly losing what she considered a “perfect housing situation” (low rent, centrally located, great landlord) thanks to a cracked foundation and black mold. According to Amber, “my world fell apart.”
Amber applied for Habitat in 2019 and was accepted into the 20-21 build cycle. She said “this program has changed my life forever. I am so very thankful to Helena Area Habitat for Humanity for giving me this opportunity to have a permanent place to call home.”
Featured Volunteers
Our volunteers dedicate their time and energy to ensure that families have safe, affordable homes in the Helena community. Click on an image to read their story and why they volunteer!
“I first became acquainted with Habitat perhaps 20 years ago or more through working at Wells Fargo Bank in Helena, ” said Brad. “Initial volunteering was sporadic and usually one day at a time. I don’t remember when I first volunteered, but the construction foreman at the time was Ross.”
Brad has worked on the Billings Avenue homes, Boulder Avenue home, Custer and Benton home, Twilight and Stacia Street homes, some home repair in East Helena, some ramp installations, and siding and basement work at The ReStore. In the end, Brad said that “there are many highlights, but I’d say the best has been working for Mark Leland. He is incredibly patient and a skilled teacher and NEVER makes one feel dumb or unappreciated. The way he directs hugely diverse groups and gets things done is a marvel.”
