Meet Mr. Douglas, a Habitat homeowner and a veteran. He served for two years in the Air Force and later joined the Air Force Reserves. In 2006, Mr. Douglas was deployed to Kuwait with the 386 Aerial Port Squadron. He was in a boom explosion and received a brain injury, which resulted in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In 2007, Mr. Douglas was reassigned to Dobbins Air Reserve Base and retired after 26 years of honorable service. He has two sons. His oldest son is in the U.S. Army and the younger son is in the U.S. Air Force.
Mr. Douglas is active in the community. He volunteers with 7 Bridges to Recovery, an Atlanta organization that feeds the hungry and meets the needs of the homeless who live under the bridges of Atlanta, with the goal of sharing Christ and eventually getting the homeless off the streets. Mr. Douglas also volunteers on our Habitat Selection Committee, which interviews prospective homeowners.
A Habitat homeowner since August 2013, Mr. Douglas shared his thoughts about becoming a homeowner, “If you get a house through Habitat, you are getting married and you don’t even know it. When you marry a house, you have electricity, plumbing, AC…. When they go out, you have to have the money to fix them.”
Before moving in to their new homes, approved Habitat homeowners attend and complete the course work for Living Smart™ classes. These courses are designed to prepare them to become responsible, successful homeowners. Among the courses is Recipes for Financial Fitness, which discusses budgeting for regular expenses as well as for emergencies. Mr. Douglas said, “I keep saving all the time, because you never know when something is going to go wrong. This is mine and I got to take care of it myself.”
These classes are essential to our homeowner partners because NW Metro Atlanta Habitat focuses on first-time homebuyers. Transitioning from being a renter to a homeowner requires a complete shift in budgeting both time and money. A cornerstone of our mission is to set-up families to succeed in homeownership.
When asked what he would like people to know about Habitat, he said, “Being a partner with Habitat is not Welfare. It gives you the opportunity to improve your life style. Habitat made it happen for me. It is an opportunity from God.”