Substandard Housing and Homelessness

Freshmen year of college came and I was more than ready to be out of my small hometown of Kimball, MN and in the big city. A few years before I graduated high school my life became overwhelming and stressful. I worked two jobs, was involved in far too many after school activities, and then came home to a houseful of people all with huge personalities. When the economy crashed, my family was hit just as hard as most. I soon realized that my parents were working 70+ hour weeks just trying to make ends meet. I didn't think things were that bad until one day a cop pulled up and handed my dad a bunch of papers. Turns out we were about to lose our house. My parents built our house with the help of family members the year I was born. And since I can remember it has always been one of the most important things in our lives because it is our home, what has kept us all together.
I am the youngest of 5 children, with my youngest brother being 5 years older than me. Even with this age gap, I can never remember a time when it was just me and my parents living in the house. Throughout high school I lived at home with my parents, my brother Matt, my brother Andy, his wife Katie, and their three children. Losing our house would have meant not only my parents and me were homeless, but also my young and innocent nephews. My parents gave up a lot to end up keep our house, but I don't know anyone who is ungrateful for all the hard decisions they made to keep our family together.
At the time I thought my world was ending, but I realize now that things could have been so much worse. When my sister was younger she spent years in and out of women's shelters and substandard housing. Although she is 13 years older than me, we were very close when I was a child. I remember staying in the apartments she lived in, I didn't think much of it then, but now I remember seeing homeless people scattered in the street near her apartment and having to sleep on the floor in her unit because there was no bed. I may not have lost my home, but my sister knew what it was like to move from place to place just to feel safe at night, making this issue extremely important to me.
I have never experienced homelessness personally, but it has hit close enough to home where it is an important issue, so when I came to college I joined Habitat for Humanity. I have been to places like Miami and New Orleans where I witnessed first hand what true poverty and substandard housing looked like. I have been an active member with the group now since my freshmen year, and will continue to support Habitat's efforts to provide affordable housing to those in need, because I know that there is nothing more comforting and safe than a place to call home.