Amy Dunham

Learn more about Habitat for Humanity Chief Communications Officer Amy Dunham.

Teaser title
Amy Dunham

A shared commitment to building a brighter future

Habitat and Whirlpool Corporation have worked together for more than two decades to help ensure families have access to safe and affordable housing.

Teaser title
A shared commitment to building a brighter future

Home is the Key stories

The U.S. housing crisis is increasing for communities in every region of the country. Read stories about how access to homeownership changes lives and creates welcoming communities.

Home is the key to stability

Regina and Larry’s search for a comfortable home led them to Habitat. The couple was approved for the homeownership program and immediately began volunteering and rooting themselves in their new community.

On any given day, it’s common for four generations of Larry and Regina’s family to drop into their home to share a meal, a story, a laugh. The couple, who married later in life, enjoy a large, blended family. After living in their community for nearly a decade, Larry and Regina have found that their neighbors have become like family, too.

Their front door, which Larry jokingly calls “a magnet,” is a constant carousel of friends, family and neighbors stopping by. Regina loves their open-door policy, especially when it means spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Before Larry and Regina moved into their “blessed home,” Regina lived alone in a bungalow with severe structural damage that would have required expensive renovations to the house’s foundation, roof and walls. The house also lacked proper insulation, making wintertime unbearable.

Regina and Larry with their grandchildren in front of their home.

Building community through Habitat

After realizing they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, Regina and Larry decided to explore housing upgrades. Their search led them to Habitat for Humanity. The couple was approved for Habitat’s homeownership program and immediately began volunteering and rooting themselves in their new community. Larry and Regina marveled at the generosity and kindness of their neighbors during each home build.

“What Habitat did for me was remind me of what camaraderie is and what community is really about,” Regina says. “Habitat is a very important piece of togetherness.”

“Our grandchildren know they have a place to come home. Before, everything seemed so temporary. The foundation we laid here helps my family be more stable.”
— Regina, Habitat homeowner

More space for family

Larry and Regina adore their four-bedroom home and spacious backyard, which has been the site of many impromptu neighborhood parties, family reunions and Fourth of July celebrations. Most importantly, the ample space allows their four grandchildren — 17-year-old Xavier, 13-year-old Erin, 4-year-old Ja’Koi and 1-year-old Imunique — to comfortably stay with them.

“Our grandchildren know they have a place to come home,” Regina says. “Before, everything seemed so temporary. The foundation we laid here helps my family be more stable.”

“Homeownership gives us power”

Larry and Regina, both military veterans, have become community fixtures in their neighborhood. Homeownership has enabled the couple to invest in their home and community. Their next project is to install a playground set in their backyard for their grandchildren to enjoy — a move that’s sure to attract other kids from the neighborhood as well.

“Homeownership gives us power,” Larry says. “You can use your home to make things happen. Home is the key to success.”

Off
Regina and Larry in their living room with big smiles

Home is the key to stability

Teaser image
Regina and Larry in their home with big smiles
Subscribe to