Habitat homeowner Renatta has put deep roots down in her community. As she celebrates her two-year homeownership anniversary, her lovingly decorated home tells the story of how much can change in 730 days.
Growing up, she moved every two years — a habit she says followed her into adulthood. Now, she is building her long-term home.
“This is the first time I’m hitting the two-year mark and don’t have to move,” she says. “The stability is huge for me because I didn’t have it growing up.”
Originally from Washington, Renatta moved back to Oregon in 2022 to be close to family. Her brother was newly married and living in Lake Oswego, and she had just found her father through the ancestry site 23andMe and discovered he was also in the Portland area. She decided it was time to commit to a new home to be close to family.
Finding a sign
She lived in temporary housing for veterans through Transition Projects, determined to find permanent housing as soon as possible. One day, she saw the Habitat flyer in their office and thought, “Why not?”
“Growing up poor, you know about Habitat,” she says. But she didn’t think of it as a real possibility until she saw that flyer. With no expectations, she gave it a shot. She tried not to get attached until she got the call that her application was being considered.
“That was pretty incredible,” she laughs. The moment she saw her future home, she knew it was the place for her.
We spoke with Renatta in 2023, shortly after she found out she would become a Habitat homeowner. Back then, she couldn’t wait for the stability of her new home.
“I just know getting this will be everything. I’ve always dreamt of having this kind of stability,” she said then.
Better together
Since becoming a homeowner, Renatta has not only built stability: she has become an active part of a strong community. She is on her HOA board and knows almost all of her neighbors. What started out as watching her neighbor’s dog turned into weekly dinners and game nights. And when she goes out of town, her neighbors are there to watch Judy, her cat.
“This is people working together, trying to keep this community positive and make sure we get things done,” she says.
Her relationships with neighbors hold more weight than at previous rentals, she says. With shared investment in their community comes a deeper connection to one another.
“It’s more of a commitment to each other,” she says, “because you are all in it together.”
Freedom to thrive
As she celebrates two years in her home and many more to come, Renatta is building a bright future in her equally bright, pink and gold themed home.
“My credit score is going up, the place is gaining equity,” she smiles. As she builds that future, it’s clear to see she has already poured love into her home. Her record stand boasts a wide collection of her favorite artists, peacock themed wallpaper adorns the kitchen, and her front porch is always decked out for the holidays.
“I really went from homeless to homeowner,” she reflects. As she has established herself in this community, it has benefited from her impact. She is an assistant chef at a nonprofit that serves people with disabilities, and she loves living close to her family.
And at the end of the day, she comes home to a place full of warmth and character. From the Halloween-turned-Valentine’s skeleton on her porch to the custom kitchen-island, Renatta’s home is unmistakably her own.
“I get to be unapologetically myself in my home,” she says. “Staying in the same place and not worrying about losing my housing is priceless.”
