Homeowner Spotlight - Tina Shockley
My name is Tina Shockley. I am a partner family for Syracuse Habitat for Humanity, on my way to owning and purchasing my very first home. Habitat for Humanity has been a great experience for me and I look forward to many more things to come in the future.
I was a FMF Corpsman in the Navy/Marine Corps for five years. Although my time in the military was short I was given the great opportunity to work with some amazing and like-minded people. While I was in the military, I also had the opportunity to travel to so many different countries that I never thought that I would get to see. My unit and I (Combat Logistics Battalion 13) went to India, Hawaii, Guam, Kuwait, Dubai, Singapore, Bahrain, and U.A.E. The military took me to places I never would have imagined that I would have gotten to go. It was an amazing experience and I will have many stories to tell for the rest of my life.
When it was time for me to move on to the next chapter in my life, I found myself
ready to start college but I was also pregnant, and divorced. For me this situation was an extremely hard and tough time. I was currently stationed in Twenty-Nine Palms California, but I knew that my best and most viable option after I left the military would be to go home to Upstate N.Y. Coming home was the best choice that I could have ever made. I was seven months pregnant and all alone. When I came home though, no longer was I alone; now, I have all the help and support that I could ever ask for from my father, mother, brother and my sister. They have been more of a blessing than anyone could dream or ask for. I give them major props because after seven years of me being gone and now moving back in, not only just me but also my son, Aiden, and my dog, Oliver, they have helped me tremendously to be able to achieve the things that I need for a good solid future for Aiden and me. It has almost been three years since I moved back in and left the military.
Now, I am 25 years old and since I left the military I have been going to college and taking care of Aiden. I’m currently a full time student at SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry pursuing a career in Construction Management. It was time for me to start looking at getting my own home for Aiden and me and I didn’t know what to do or how I could afford it until the V.A told me about Syracuse Habitat for Humanity. From the start this whole experience has been truly wonderful. They sit down with you, talk to you, and truly get to know and understand you. Not only that, but I’m a very proud and independent woman. Habitat looks at your finances to make sure that you CAN afford a house and not only that, but you also get to work towards owning your home as well. That, I love. When everything is all over and I get to live in my house I know that I earned it completely and I can still afford all the things that I need for me and my little man. Thank you to my family and thank you to Syracuse Habitat for Humanity for this amazing adventure that I am getting to experience.
Do you know a Veteran like Tina who would like to purchase their own home? We are still waiting to meet our Partner Families for the Veteran Builds on West Roswell and Hixson Ave! Please share with them that they may download an application at http://www.syracusehabitat.org/home-ownership, or give us a call at 315-422-2230 and we will mail them one.
Eligibility requirements include: ■ Income is 60% or less of HUD guidelines.
■ Ability to pay a mortgage / have a decent credit report ■ Currently living in substandard housing.
■ Willingness to partner and work 300 sweat equity hours
.
