Home: ‘Where Dreams and Prayers Meet’

When Austin N. applied to purchase a home through Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity’s (COHFH) New Home Construction program in 2024, he described how his children had spent the previous decade responding “like well-trained soldiers” whenever they heard gunshots outside their apartment in the middle of the night.

“Habitat is the joining clasp where my dreams and prayers meet to provide a reality for us that I never thought possible,” Austin wrote. “I am finally able to have a home base for my kids … we can build our memories and traditions from a truly stable location we can call our own.”

On Oct. 31, 2024, Austin and one of his four adult children celebrated the purchase of his new, energy-efficient and affordable home during a COHFH dedication at Cornerstone Creek in far northwest Oklahoma City.

After the celebration, Austin contrasted his new surroundings with the “really bad area” where he and his children had lived for 10 years and where “every day you wish you were somewhere else.” He said his new home provided a safe, clean place for his family.

“This is more than I could have imagined,” Austin said. “I am realizing it is much nicer than I could have imagined.”

Central Oklahoma Habitat homeowner Austin N. celebrates his new home during an Oct. 31, 2024, dedication at Cornerstone Creek in Oklahoma City.