“Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” – Napoleon Hill
Those three words are common traits of any future Habitat homeowner, but especially Crispin and Angela. After nearly three years of patiently earning sweat equity hours and attending homeowner classes, the couple, their three children, Bairon (9), Milan (7), Chris (5), and Crispin’s sister, Maria (11) have accepted their lot offer to begin building their home!
“We are so happy to know that we are the next ones to build our house. We applied in 2019, and because of the pandemic delays, we had to wait until now. It was very difficult to think the wait could continue, but we were very excited to receive the lot offer,” Crispin shared.
This family of six looks forward to one final move into their new home in the Osage Place neighborhood. They have moved to four different apartments in the last seven years due to high, and annually increasing, rent payments and high utility costs. They are excited to move into an energy-efficient home that shares no walls with another family – two things many renters do not get to experience.
“It can be difficult to find rentals with a large family,” Crispin said. “We are looking forward to our future home – it is a dream come true. We will get to forget about moving from one place to another, and we can each have our own personal space to form it to our liking. When you rent you cannot paint, or move things [how you like] because eventually you’ll have to move it again. We like to garden and eat natural foods, and are excited for the power to be able to plant our own fruits and vegetables.”
Crispin and Angela haven’t shared the good news with the kids yet – they’re keeping it a surprise for now. They said the kids are happy to know that their parents are earning sweat equity hours, even if it means staying at home with a babysitter. “They know we are working toward our house for all of our futures, and they’re happy to know that. They keep asking us ‘When do we start?’ and we tell them ‘soon, soon!’” Crispin said.
Crispin and Angela are most excited about the stability and education outcomes that their home will provide their children. The children already attend Summit Elementary School, and will soon be able to walk to and from school via a connecting path from their neighborhood – rather than the current 10+ minute drive. They are glad each child will have their own study space, and hope the home will allow the kids to focus on their eventual higher education. “If they decide to study here at the University, they will not have to pay rent if they live here, and will be able to focus on only paying their University expenses. That will be really good, as they will be able to save more to pursue the career that they choose,” Crispin said.
“We will sleep better [when we move in], because the kids will be in their own space and happy. And we will be happy because they’re happy! I think we will all sleep better and live better lives because of the impacts of owning our own home,” Angela said. “Our family thanks you all for your efforts and dedication. Habitat is a wonderful program that gives each of us the opportunity to own our own home, with privacy for the whole family. Thank you very much Habitat for making our dreams come true.”
Crispin & Angela’s home is sponsored by the faculty, staff, and friends of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business Finance Department, with support from the Bloomington High School North and Bloomington High School South Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapters, and Bloomington Alpha Chapter of Tri Kappa.