North America: New York City
From Habitat for Humanity homeowner to volunteer
Beverley Smith's life has changed radically since she moved into her Habitat for Humanity home in April 1998. Now that she and her children live in safety, she is helping others in her new neighbourhood, furthering her own education – and giving back to Habitat for Humanity by volunteering on builds.
When she and her daughters – April, 24, Marie, 14, and Mary, 10 – were living in the rundown New York City neighbourhood of Bedford-Stuyvisant, she didn't even call their apartment a home …
"It was a shelter. There were holes in the kitchen and the ceilings in the bathroom. Sometimes in the bathroom, you had to use an umbrella.
"The children would come home to find garbage strewn on the sidewalk and vagrants asleep on the steps. Gunfire was constant and the girls were never allowed to play outside. Teachers called me regularly to discuss behavioural problems with my daughter Marie.
"I tried twice to move my family out of the building, but I couldn't afford the rent. When I got the phone call at work to say that I had been approved for a Habitat for Humanity house, I burst into tears. I was so happy I just had to hug someone.
"I still smile when I think of the volunteers who came to work with me on my house. I remember their attention to detail. Doing a job well wasn't good enough – everything had to be just right.
"From a neighbourhood where they were never allowed outside to play because of the danger of violence, the children can now sit on the front steps and enjoy an ice cream cone. I can even leave my doors open. Marie's lowest grade at the end of the school year was B, and she got a trophy for perfect attendance. I've finished a bachelor's degree and I hope to earn a master's degree to become a counsellor.
"When I heard that Habitat for Humanity's annual Jimmy Carter Work Project was coming to New York City, I took a week's holiday time to volunteer with the food service committee. I spent long hours wiping down tables and dishing out meals to grimy volunteers. My own sweat equity hours were done a long time ago, but I wanted to donate my time to other families still working on theirs."
By Pat Curry; adapted from Habitat World magazine
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