March 27, 2024 | Alexa Johnson
The fate of a 106-year old Davidson home was uncertain as plans were put into motion for a new roundabout at the intersection where the house stood. Instead of demolishing the historic home, the Town of Davidson generously opted to salvage it and donate it to Habitat Charlotte Region.
In January 2022, Habitat Charlotte Region moved the home to a plot of land just a few blocks away that had also been donated by the Town of Davidson. Once the house was moved, construction staff and volunteers got to work renovating the home to make it ready for purchase by a qualified Habitat homeowner-in-process.
The transformed 2-bedroom home has now been given new life and will soon mark a new beginning for first-time homeowner Esther. Esther came to America from Colombia in 1999 with just $100 in her pocket seeking a better life for herself and her four children. She worked hard, learned English, and gave back to her community by volunteering as a translator nurse at the Ada Jenkins Center, where she learned about Habitat’s homeownership program.
Over the past 23 years, Esther never stopped working towards the life she always dreamed of for her family. Now, it is finally paying off as she prepares to move into her new home. Town of Davidson officials, community members, Habitat staff and volunteers, and many of Esther’s friends and family came together this week for a moving dedication to commemorate the completion of this unique project and celebrate with Esther.
During the program, we heard from Habitat staffers who were involved with the project and representatives from the Town of Davidson. Esther took the podium to express her deep gratitude and her son-in-law led the group in blessing the home. When the program ended, Esther graciously invited the group of nearly 50 people in attendance to come into her new home and handed out handwritten cards and flowers to each person.
Esther gives so much to others, and now, she will have something of her very own. She cannot wait to sit on her new front porch, garden in her yard, and share a cup of coffee with her new neighbors. Most of all, she looks forward to having her children and ten grandchildren gather at her new home to spend time together and make memories.
As land and housing options become increasingly scarce, community partnerships and innovative solutions like this help us continue to push forward in providing more affordable homeownership opportunities throughout the Charlotte region. Thank you to the Town of Davidson for the donation of this home and their continued partnership, and to everyone who had a hand in making this project possible.
