Future homeowner D is a Project Utility Manager at the Cobb County Department of Transportation, helping to ensure the county’s residents enjoy quality infrastructure. Despite steady work and overtime in a career he enjoys, D and his wife Dreika can’t find decent, affordable housing in the county he serves. Instead, they rent a small townhome just outside of Cobb, where they battle with crowding and substandard conditions.
D & Dreika are raising a unique blended family with children ranging in age from 26- to 1-year-old, with four living at home: 22-year-old DeNecia, 15-year-old DeKeria, 2-year-old D, and 1-year-old Daniel. Dreika keeps an immaculate home, but her efforts can’t hide the deferred maintenance of the unit – significant water damage, leaky plumbing, and a basement that’s always flooded. With safety concerns in the neighborhood, the family’s dynamic and playful energy is cramped in their small space.
D & Dreika felt like they won a prize when they were selected to build a home with Habitat and are looking forward to watching their kids run and play in the yard of their future home. For their family, homeownership is more than walls and a roof, it’s the promise of stability, safety, and cherished memories.