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The holiday season is a time for joy, gratitude, and generosity. As the leaves change color and the temperature drops, we start thinking about what we’re grateful for. Our homes become the center of safe, fun holiday gatherings with friends and family. But there’s an unfortunate truth. Many of our neighbors are struggling to secure a safe, affordable home in which to celebrate this season.

The affordable housing crisis dims what should be a season of joy for too many of our neighbors. But what if this holiday season, you could give a gift that made an impact not only on this season but beyond? What if your gift set the foundation for generations of prosperity? When you make a holiday gift to Community Home Trust,  your gift makes a generational impact.

When Jennifer’s marriage ended in January 2009, she had no choice but to start her life over from scratch. With her 7- and 3-year-old daughters in tow, she moved to a new state for a new job.  She felt worried about how her daughters would adjust. With no bachelor’s degree or family nearby to rely on, she didn’t know how she would make their new life work. But she felt determined to come through for her family.

Jennifer’s first apartment flooded. Her landlord did very little to make it livable again.  Her second rental was in a great location, but she felt uneasy. She realized she couldn’t keep moving from place to place with two small children. She needed a place of her own to call home for herself and her girls.

Because of you, Jennifer’s family was able to have safety and peace of mind. For over 30 years, CHT has made affordable housing accessible and prevented low-quality housing. Will you give your neighbors the gift of safety and dignity this holiday season with a donation of $25, $100, or $250?

Jennifer started researching. She knew there were organizations that helped people find affordable housing. At the time, she worked as a secretary in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. She learned about Community Home Trust through a newsletter she received there. A few months later, she moved into her very own home in CHT’s Pacifica neighborhood in Carrboro. And that, Jennifer says, changed everything.

“Because I have my home and it’s affordable and I didn’t have tremendous rent payments, I quit my job and went back to school. I had an associate’s degree so it only took me two years to get my bachelor’s degree,” she says. “Once I had my bachelor’s, it was a little easier for me to move up in the workplace. I was able to get a temporary job on campus at UNC, and once I proved myself and had a reputation, I could advance.” In fact, before the start of the pandemic, Jennifer got her latest promotion. She’s now the Director of Business Operations for the Center for Banking and Finance in the UNC School of Law.

Because of you, Jennifer was able to access CHT’s affordable housing support resources. With a stable home – free of sky-high rent prices – she was able to advance in her career and dream big for herself and her kids. Will you make big dreams possible for families like Jennifer’s by making a gift of $25, $100, or whatever amount you can give this season? 

Jennifer’s home is special to her. She looked at several houses after Community Home Trust approved her application. In the end, she says her home in Pacifica met the deep needs of her family — and her heart.

Pacifica is a cohousing community in Carrboro. Jennifer describes it as “like a built-in network of people who are friends.” This special community nurtures its residents’ social and emotional health. Neighbors share meals, plan community events, and work together to maintain the property.

Pacifica also promotes its residents’ physical health. Jennifer’s girls were even able to bike or walk to Carrboro Elementary when they were younger. Now, Jennifer commutes by bike to her job at UNC, which is only three miles from her home. She says that lifestyle change has been not only convenient but helps keep her healthy, too.

As someone who values community, you know a home is so much more than a building. Jennifer found not only shelter in Pacifica, but the right community to raise her kids. This holiday season, you can give the gift of a close-knit community of people who share core values. The gift of better educational and job opportunities. The gift of all-around improved health. Will you give the gift of belonging and well-being by making a gift of $25, $100, or $250?

Jennifer knew that having a stable home would change the course of her daughters’ lives. “Having my home has meant so much to me,” she shares. “If I didn’t have the stability of my home, how was I going to raise my kids? I was able to get my degree, get a better job, and I still see myself advancing and growing.”

Following in her mother’s footsteps, Jennifer’s older daughter is now a college student. Jennifer says that’s one more example of what affordable housing can do. “It’s changing possible outcomes for the next generation,” she says.

Because of YOU, Jennifer was able to plan for her daughters’ futures and set a positive example for them. Your support helps build generational wealth and open access to life-changing educational opportunities. With your support, families can plan for the long term, and build better futures. Will you give a contribution of $25, $100, or an even greater gift today to empower current and future generations of Orange County? 

Jennifer has stayed connected to Community Home Trust since buying her home in 2009. She is now a proud member of CHT’s Board of Directors and has served as a spokesperson. When CHT asked her to serve on the Board, she leaped at the chance to support the organization and her neighbors. And through her job, she works on the Director Diversity Initiative. She advocates for organizations’ boards to resemble the communities they represent. She’s learning a lot through her service and loves being a part of making positive change.

You can put the power to make change in the hands of those most affected by the affordable housing crisis. CHT has a proven track record. Will you advocate for your neighbors struggling to secure stable housing this holiday season by making a gift of $25, $100, or $250? 

Homeownership has had a profound emotional impact on Jennifer. After she moved in, Jennifer realized she had control over her new home and decided to rebuild her patio.

“Building my patio was very emotional because it was part of the life I had before my divorce,” she says. “I did landscaping and designed patios. To be in a place where I can still do this and I can do it for myself was a big thing for me. This is mine.  I can do these things and grow and become me, and I don’t have to feel like I have to live with someone else’s rules. I own this place. If I want to paint it, I can paint it. If I want to rip out the patio and redo it, I can do that. And my girls see me doing that myself.”

Without your support, Jennifer wouldn’t have been able to take control of her family’s space — making it their own. Folks moving from rental to rental often feel they can’t call a place theirs or truly home. Will you make the dignity and pride of homeownership possible by donating $25, $100, or $250 today? 

Jennifer stays involved with CHT because she feels sure she would not be where she is today without it. She encourages others to pursue homeownership with CHT.  “If your income puts homeownership out of reach on the traditional market, Community Home Trust is so supportive. You’re not on your own!   You actually have this network of people, the staff plus all the other homeowners!  If you’re looking for homeownership and this is where your income puts you, this is a fantastic opportunity. Especially if for whatever reason renting is not right for you.”

Jennifer feels optimistic about the future. “I still have more to do! And  having my home has helped. It gave me a solid base to finally, for the first time in my life, feel like I can blossom and grow and learn and live a life.”

As a compassionate person, you know that everyone deserves a safe, affordable, decent home – no matter their income. But home becomes even more important during the holidays. Will you give families the opportunity to be truly “home for the holidays” by making a gift of $25, $100, or whatever amount you can give today? 

Thank you so much for your support for Community Home Trust. We are so grateful for your compassion and generosity. Without you, Jennifer and her little girls would’ve had to continue moving from rental to rental and scraping by. Without you, Jennifer might never have been able to go back to school. Without you, Jennifer’s daughter may not have aspired to pursue her own education beyond high school.

But the affordable housing crisis continues. Right now, there are so many families like Jennifer’s in Orange County who need your support. With YOUR compassion, single moms can make a future for themselves and their kids.

When you make a gift of $25, $50, or an even more generous gift of $250 today, you lift up your neighbors harmed by the affordable housing crisis. Your donation is so meaningful to families struggling to secure stable housing. Especially during the holidays. Will you make a gift to Community Home Trust today?

Your generosity this holiday season will provide generations of prosperity. You help lay the foundation families need to move from surviving to thriving. Thank you so much for sharing the holiday spirit with your neighbors!