GivingTuesday 2023

Rising up from the ground of an excess water department property at the corners of 9th and H streets in San Bernardino are two modest homes that promise a more financially secure future for the families slated to purchase them as part of Habitat for Humanity San Bernardino Area’s Homeownership Program.

One of the families, in particular, has been anxious to have a place to call their own and spread out a bit.

Keyawna and her two daughters are living in an apartment not suited for people with disabilities. Avery and Kennedy, 17, diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy type II as toddlers, use motorized wheelchairs to get around. Medical beds, equipment, and other needs for their care are too large for a standard apartment bedroom. The girls’ everyday life requires them to carry out all of their daily activities in the living room and around visitors. Family meetings occur in the kitchen; it is the only area in their home that can accommodate the girls’ wheelchairs. The girls essentially live in less than 300 square feet with very little privacy. Keyawna also takes care of her niece, whose mother died in 2019.

Keyawna says it is challenging. “It takes strength, patience, and the willpower not to pull your hair out every now and then,” she said in her application for homeownership. “They have nowhere to go, as it is very cramped.

“It has been increasingly more difficult for them to grow up as teenagers in a living room,” she said. “At their age, they should be able to have peace and quiet in their own rooms, without the clanging of pots and pans, unannounced visitors, or waiting for everyone else to go to bed in order for them to get sleep.”

Habitat for Humanity believes that everyone deserves a decent place to live, and because of that, we strive to build stability, strength, and self-reliance through shelter. Your Giving Tuesday donations to Habitat for Humanity San Bernardino Area help families like Keyawna's make homeownership a reality. 

The home Habitat is building for Keyawna's family at 9th and H streets may be modest, but for the family of four it will bring privacy, stability, and space for them to thrive.