“A home is so much more than just a place to live. It’s our safe place, our comfort and a place to grow.”
Erin Gatlin is a single mother to two children and has been working at Morton Plant Hospital as a Health Information Coordinator for the past 20 years. She enjoys spending time with friends by going to dinner, movies, and concerts. Her son, Remy (age 13), and her daughter, Jayden (age 9), enjoy playing video games, playing outside, biking, playing at the park, jumping at trampoline parks, and hanging out with family. Erin and her kids are very close with one another and she tries to spend as much quality time as possible with them. “We tend to stay very busy doing activities like going to the beach, the park, traveling,” she says. “They are both very smart kids who have been through a lot, but are very resilient.”
The living situation that the family is currently in is not ideal. After separating from her husband, Erin was forced to find her own place. “Rent is very high so I can only afford a two bedroom apartment,” Erin tells us. “My kids are opposite genders so they can’t share a room. My son has his own room and I share with my daughter. Most of the room belongs to her. I have a bed in the corner and that’s about it. There isn’t much privacy and she needs her own space as well as I do.” Once they move into their brand new Habitat home, privacy will be an issue of the past. Everyone is excited to get their own room to live comfortably in.
Erin’s first thoughts after learning her family was accepted into the program were “I was very excited and my mind immediately went into planning mode. I am very motivated to get this done in as little time as possible.” Life will be very different after moving into their Habitat home and they are ready to have more stability in their life. “We will not have to worry about rent going up every year or moving. We will be paying far less for our home & will have the ability to save money for the future and be comfortable enough to do the things we love like traveling.” They are also eager to invite friends and family over for holidays and birthdays.
Our affiliate is making a further commitment and investment advocating for the advancement of affordable homeownership. If you are interested in learning how our organization is advocating for affordable homes and how to get involved, please check out our Advocate Page on our website.
“My kids deserve a stable, comfortable forever home to grow up in.”
The Gatlin Family home was dedicated on September 9th, 2022.
