2008 - Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

Homeowner Story: Trish Lynne and family
For homeowner Trish Lynne a citation from the city couldn’t have come at a worse
time. Working two jobs, enrolled in nursing school and being the single mother of four
left her virtually no time to prep and paint the exterior of her home. “I was planning
to paint the house all along,” she said. “I just didn’t think I’d be under the gun like this
to get it done.”
Facing the possible loss of her home and steep fines Trish sought help from family
and friends. Her father even took vacation time, traveling from Michigan to lend a
hand. The group that assembled began to scrape and sand the flaky, rotting paint that
had covered the home for years. “The help was great at first and I appreciated it whole
heartedly,” she said. “However it was difficult for people to come back every weekend
while keeping up with their own lives.”
Knowing that my family
will be together in this
home for some time,
I feel whole again.
Months passed, her helpers came and went and
Trish was left with half a house painted and a
rapidly approaching deadline. Looking for some
help she applied for a loan but was later rejected.
Trish then asked for and was granted a continuance
from the city. Running out of options she turned
to Twin Cities Habitat’s A Brush with Kindness
after reading a success story in her neighborhood
newsletter. Within weeks Trish was back on ladders
painting trim, this time with the help of Habitat
staff and volunteers who supplied the resources to get the job done.
“After not getting approved for a loan I lost all hope that the improvements would ever
be made,” Trish said. “I can’t thank Habitat enough for establishing this program that
keeps families in their home.”
Currently Trish lives with her fiancé Don and his child in the same home that caused
so much trouble for so long. The couple’s first date came after a long day of painting for
Trish. “I remember having paint still caked on my fingernails and then explaining to
him the mess I was going through,” she says. With five kids in the house going to three
different schools Trish is thankful to no longer be single parenting. “With Don moving
in and knowing that my family will be together in this home for some time, I feel whole
again,” she says. “I make it a point to tell other low-income families struggling to hold
onto their house about what A Brush with Kindness has done for me.”
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Don and Trish, with kids Ira, Mary, Ruth, and Eliezer
Work on the Lynne family
home took volunteer crews
about five days to complete,
once ABWK volunteers
stepped in to help.
Paint colors: light green siding,
dark blue trim + white fascia
Ira on his fifth birthday!