MHHD helps single mom to "get it together"

“My name is Janet Patrick, and this is my story.  I hope my story will encourage and empower others to put one step forward and believe that anything is possible.

“Picture me…a 24-year-old single mother with a dead end job (low income), bad credit, and low self-esteem.  My credit was so horrible I could not get a checking account.  I fell into such a deep depression that my parents had to come to Mississippi and take my daughter to live with them.

“I can still remember the exact words of my mother…’Get yourself together!  You are not the only one hurting here.’

“One night while at work, I overheard a conversation of a co-worker who had just purchased a home with the help of an organization called Mercy Housing and Human Development.  I spoke with this person in detail, and to my surprise she had once been in a similar situation as myself.  She gave me the number, and it was up to me to put that one step forward.

“And I did.  Through weekly classes and individual credit counseling, MHHD taught me the importance of having good credit and all aspects of home ownership.  MHHD taught me the importance of budgeting and managing money.  I began paying bills responsibly as well as debt owed, while at the same time watching my credit score increase.

“All this enabled me to open a checking account, and for the first time in my 24 years I opened a savings account.

“Since walking through MHHD’s door, I have a fulfilling career and, more importantly, I am a homeowner.  My daughter and I have been in our home for a short period of time, but Mercy Housing continues to offer ongoing support through homeowner classes.

“So ask yourself, ‘Does the program work?’  Yes it does, but only if you make it work.  Mercy Housing gives you the tools and the support you need to succeed in becoming a homeowner.

“I thank MHHD for this program that assists families with low income.  They have given me that boost of confidence I needed to believe I have the ability to succeed as a homeowner and so much more.”

--Janet Patrick