From Public Housing to Proud Homeowners: Meet Angeline & Allen

Fifteen years ago, Angeline and Allen couldn’t have imagined themselves as homeowners. At the time, they were fighting for stability as Angeline was living in her car, Allen was sleeping on family couches, and each day felt like an uphill battle.

That all changed when Angeline received a call from Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA): her family had been approved for housing. "The timing couldn’t have been better," she said. "We needed somewhere to belong."

Angeline and Allen moved into a single-family rental home in the South Minneapolis Bancroft neighborhood. It wasn’t just a roof over their heads but a safe place for their children and grandchildren who fondly named it "Grandma’s Safe Haven."

"We were so happy to have our little place," Angeline said. "It felt so great that we were in a house, not an apartment or townhouse."

That stability gave them space to breathe and to dream again. Angeline and Allen both advanced in their careers, boosting their household income. By 2023, they reached the income limits for MPHA’s rental housing and were introduced to the Pathways to Success program, a new partnership between MPHA and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity that supports renters on pathways toward financial growth, education, and homeownership.

They enrolled, hoping the program might open a new chapter. "The Pathways team believed in us even when we didn’t," Angeline said. "They helped us buy our home."

Through Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, Angeline and Allen attended homebuyer education workshops, one-on-one financial coaching, and received tailored tools for mortgage readiness. The couple slowly built their confidence and their credit.

They were closing the gap between dream and reality. And then, life stopped.

In May 2024, Angeline and Allen’s youngest daughter passed away unexpectedly. Their world shattered, and the grief was too heavy to carry alongside homeownership goals. Their progress stopped, and doubt crept in.

"It was hard to see a future," said Angeline. "You ask yourself, is it even worth it?"

But over time, with support from their family and the Pathways to Success team, they returned to their journey. Their "forever home" dream wasn’t just for them—it was for their children and grandchildren, including the one they lost.

In spring 2025, after months of hard work, they were officially mortgage-ready. A few months later, they closed on their own home: a cozy house on a tree-lined Brooklyn Center street.

Angeline and Allen cut the ceremonial ribbon as the first Pathways to Success participants to close on a home!

"It feels so good to own our home," said Angeline, beaming. "To fix it up, to make it really ours—it makes me happy." Homeownership has brought new joys, from picking out paint colors to making trips to the hardware store together. The house is more than property; it’s their new safe haven.

The Power of Partnership

Established in 2023, Pathways to Success is an innovative collaboration between MPHA, Twin Cities Habitat, Twin Cities R!SE (TCR), and PRG, Inc. designed to empower MPHA residents on their journeys toward long-term financial success—including homeownership.

• MPHA offers stable rental housing and connects residents to programs as they grow.
• TCR provides career readiness courses, mock interviews, resume support, and job placement assistance.
• PRG, Inc. offers credit remediation and 1:1 financial counseling.
• Twin Cities Habitat supports families on the path to mortgage readiness, offering education, coaching, and affordable homeownership tools, including a 30% income-based mortgage.

Once a family is ready for homeownership, Twin Cities Habitat steps in with personalized support to help homebuyers find a home on the open market or purchase a Habitat-built home. Our mortgage products are designed with long-term stability in mind: fixed interest, no mortgage insurance, and guaranteed support throughout the life of the loan.

Once the home is purchased, Habitat's support continues with post-purchase workshops on home maintenance, budgeting, and foreclosure prevention.

A Dream Realized, A Legacy Begun

Angeline and Allen with family at their new home.

Looking around her new living room, Angeline reflects on how far her family has come—from homelessness, to public housing, to homeownership.

"I didn’t think homeownership was in the cards for me," she said. "But now, we own a home. Not just for us but for generations to come."

Angeline and Allen’s story is a testament to resilience and the life-changing impact of programs that meet people where they are and walk with them toward possibility. Their forever home is a reminder of the power of partnership and the belief that everyone deserves a safe, stable, and affordable place to call their own.