Whirlpool Corp.: Building Bigger Dreams, Latonya and Family Move Into Their New Habitat Home
Escalating crime in the community near her residence had become a major concern for LaTonya, a single mom living near Nashville, Tennessee. After residing there for ten years, she and family longed for a better place to live. LaTonya hoped to purchase a home with greater safety, more peace, in a quieter neighborhood.
Early in her journey towards home ownership, she shared, “When I become a homeowner, I won’t have to worry about the rent going up every year. With the way the economy is, it makes you think you need to get three jobs just to get ahead. I shouldn’t have to feel that way.”
Even though LaTonya had been working as a security officer since 2015 and has an associate’s degree in business management from Daymar College, she sought help to get her finances in order and enrolled in classes at Christian Community Services Inc. There, LaTonya was encouraged to apply for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville’s homeownership program. She qualified and began homeownership classes in early 2021.
After completing 100 hours of financial and homeowner education classes, working 70 hours building with sponsors and volunteers, and volunteering 30 hours at the Habitat ReStore, LaTonya moved into her new home in Cheatham County in May of 2022. The new Habitat home is a welcome respite for LaTonya, raising her 16-year-old son and three young nieces whom she gained custody of in 2021 when their mother passed away.
Beyond having a new, comfortable home, the family’s three-bedroom house is equipped with low-flow shower heads, sinks, faucets and toilets that will use 31 percent less water than the average U.S. home. It has a 50-gallon electric water heater with 93 percent efficiency, double-paned windows for better insulation, and a strengthened roof. Her family also received an energy-efficient refrigerator and range, which Whirlpool Corporation donates to every Habitat-built home in North America.
The home was built as part of Habitat for Humanity’s BuildBetter with Whirlpool initiative, an expansion of Habitat’s existing BuildBetter program that will build more than 250 climate-resilient and energy-efficient homes in the U.S. to help hundreds of families in need of affordable housing between 2021 and 2023.
“It’s an honor and blessing to be selected for a Whirlpool grant that provides appliances for my new Habitat home,” LaTonya says. “The ENERGY STAR® savings for my family will help so much in the long run as far as the electric bill.”
She is excited about the home she built alongside sponsors and volunteers, and looks forward to exploring Cheatham County. She is grateful for the support she received to help her achieve homeownership. “Thank you, Whirlpool, for all of your help with my Habitat home!”
To further her dreams, LaTonya hopes to one day start her own business.
