The Gordon family moved to the United States five years ago from Jamaica. “My mom moved to America when I was pretty young, so I had to fend for myself. I was quite lonely until I had my first son Tahjay. He became my reason for living.”

Her mom helped her come to the United States, but Nickiesha had a difficult time adjusting in the beginning. “When I first got here I couldn’t drive, and didn’t have a job. I cried many nights, because I couldn’t provide for my children. Fast forward, and I’m now a certified nursing assistant working my way up towards going to school to be an RN.” She now has three boys who all enjoy football, Nintendo games, and watching movies.

The family is ready for a place to call home where the boys can have more space to play. “This program has made me feel like I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to, and that soon I will not struggle so much to pay someone else’s mortgage; I’m going to pay my own.”

“It’s not only the house that you get out of this program. It’s also the people, experiences, and knowledge you will gain on this journey towards homeownership. Habitat for Humanity is the hope that I always needed. It helped me achieve the one goal that I thought would take me ten to twenty years to accomplish.”

Nickiesha advises others to “never give up hope. There is always a way around every obstacle in life.”