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It was a good year for Brenda Wallace. The year she bought a car. And a house. Turned 50. Lost 70 pounds. And learned how easy it can be to follow your instincts and get things done on your own.

A Springfield native, Brenda lost her house through
divorce years ago, and lived in an apartment with her four children. Brenda dreamed of owning a home once again. That dream came true when she spotted a HAPHousing home for sale and thought "What do I have to lose?"

Through joining our homebuyer club, she restored her credit, saved and is now a proud homeowner with a place her family calls home.

Brenda's home was one of HAPHousing's 6 new affordable, energy efficient homes for sale in Springfield's Old Hill neighborhood this year. In just this one neighborhood, HAP and our community partners have brought 30 new homes, street and lighting improvements, landscaping and so much more.

Brenda's story and HAP's dedication to helping families and neighborhoods thrive is a testimony to what can happen when people come together for the common good. When this happens in a neighborhood that has seen so much abandonment, blight and devastation, it brings hope.

Many of the families we work with have made great strides moving forward in their lives. Here are three of their stories:

Keishla

Keishla was living in a motel in West Springfield, but never
intended to stay on public assistance for long. She worked together with her housing specialist, Epi, to find an apartment in Holyoke and finally got the one she had wanted. By taking classes in Customer Service at
Holyoke Community College, she prepared herself for the work world. She now works for a property management
company, providing services for the residents and after school activities for the children. Keishla intends to return
to college and possibly become a social worker.

Derek

Derek grew up in the South Boston area. While he had a strong work ethic from an early age, he didn’t have many solid role models, so life was challenging for him. After moving several times and trying different careers, Derek realized that he needed some assistance. By then, he had two growing boys who lived with their mother. Once
he found his own path, he got custody of his two young sons. He spent a brief period in a motel, and now
lives in an apartment in Springfield with his nine and six year old boys. Derek currently works full time as a shipping
manager for a welding company. His main focus is to be a good role model for his sons.

Luis and Luz

Luz and Luis moved to the U.S. from Puerto Rico, in response to their daughter’s pleas after some strong and scary earthquakes. They lived with family for a while, but
eventually needed assistance as they had nowhere else to live. The family spent about six months in a motel
while they worked with Sonia at HAPHousing to find a good apartment in Chicopee. During that time, they were both employed by the hotel to run the shuttle, serve food, and do maintenance work. Once they relocated to a good apartment, Luis found employment at a screw factory through a temporary agency; he is in the process of being hired to work there full time. In the future, he hopes to get a job with an armored truck company. Their 16 year old daughter has a dream to open her own cosmetology business some day.

Not only do we bring hope through encouraging homeownership and revitalizing neighborhoods, but also through preserving homeownership and economic stability, helping homeless families secure and maintain housing, guiding families off of rental assistance to economic independecne and provide places for domestic violence survivors and parenting teens to get back on their feet. If you can believe it...This is not all of what we do!

Please recognize the impact that HAPHousing is making in our community and become a partner in this effort today!