“I am building because I want to be able to provide for my children and myself a safe and stable home.”

Tressie Mitchell is a stay-at-home single mother who is raising three children while working towards her forever home with Habitat. She and her sons, Isaiah and Marshall, are deaf. Isaiah is 17-years-old and has low-functioning Autism. He loves anything to do with Toy Story, swimming at the pool, and enjoys playing with his iPad and blinking lights. Marshall is 14 and enjoys playing all kinds of sports and video games. Tressie’s youngest child is her daughter, Daisey, who is 12-years-old and loves to paint, draw, listen to music, and sing. As a family, they enjoy going on adventures together, such as hiking, swimming, and kayaking. They are also very involved with the Deaf Literacy Center/Family Center on Deafness and enjoy participating in fundraisers, baseball games, and other activities with the Deaf community.

The Mitchell Family’s Living situation has been very challenging for some time now. Despite multiple attempts to get proper smoke detectors for the deaf in their apartment, the landlord has refused to make the change. They also had issues with a broken dishwasher, fridge, and even air conditioner. Tressie is eager to get away from apartment renting. “Not knowing from year to year what the rent increase is going to be. That always worries me. I will be so happy when we can be in our own home and be able to take care of things as need be.”

When Tressie and her family received the news that they were accepted into the Habitat for Humanity program, she was so excited that she could not stop smiling or crying. “I had to call my parents right away. I was so happy. I am still very happy and anxious to get going with everything.” Becoming a homeowner has Tressie excited for what the future holds. “I will be so proud of our home. We will be able to have friends in to visit. It will be so good for everyone to have their own room. I will feel better about myself being a home owner.”

Tressie’s first day volunteering on a jobsite was very enjoyable. “Met new people that were very nice and helpful. It was a pleasant experience today. Looking forward to doing more and learning more.” The Mitchell Family encourages anyone who is interested in volunteering with Habitat to look into the opportunities available. “Working together with Habitat is such a great experience. It is so rewarding to help friends and family achieve their goal in life. You also will learn about building and landscaping,” Tressie says. If you are interested in learning more information on how to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, please check out our Volunteer Page on our website.

“Believe in yourself that you can and will succeed in this journey with Habitat for Humanity. It will bring out something within you that you didn’t know was there, like building skills, good budgeting skills, painting, being a good team member and you will get to meet awesome people.”

The Mitchell Family home was dedicated on July 15th, 2022.