The Single Parent's Roadmap to Homeownership

You might be thinking: "Homeownership? Me? Right now?" When you're already stretching every dollar and minute as a single parent, adding a mortgage to your plate can seem laughable. We understand completely.

The dream is there, though, isn't it? Having a place that's truly yours. A yard where your kids can play. A kitchen where family traditions take root. A home where no landlord can suddenly raise the rent or ask you to leave.

Here's what gives us hope: there are paths specifically created for people in your situation. Real, concrete options that have helped other parents just like you move from "impossible dream" to "I have my own keys."

This isn't about false promises. It's about seeing the obstacles clearly AND finding the openings that exist. Let's walk through this together.

The Unique Journey of Single-Parent Homebuyers

As a single parent, you already move mountains every day for your family. When homeownership becomes your goal, you face unique hurdles that deserve recognition:

• The Money Question: Your income already stretches to cover childcare, groceries, and everyday needs. Qualifying for a mortgage and saving for a down payment might seem impossible—but specialized programs exist for your situation and your dreams.
• The Time Squeeze: Between school drop-offs, work commitments, and bedtime stories, when exactly are you supposed to house-hunt? We see this struggle and can point you toward resources that respect your packed schedule.
• The Decision Fatigue: Every choice about location, home features, and finances falls on your shoulders alone. This responsibility feels heavy, but you don't have to carry it without support. Other parents have walked this path before you and found their way home.

Your determination to create stability for your family is your superpower in the process. The challenges are real, but with the right support, your homeownership dream remains within reach.

Habitat homeowner LeAndra was raised in her grandmother’s home in St. Paul along with her siblings. It was the family's home base as they grew up and moved out. When LeAndra’s grandmother passed, the family also lost her home. Their anchor in the community was uprooted. But LeAndra became determined to follow her grandma's legacy and become a homeowner herself.

“I always knew that I wanted to own a home,” she says. “But how I was going to own a home—I really didn’t have that figured out yet." When she received her key at the closing table, everything leading up to that moment was with her. The pain of losing her grandma’s home. The hard work of building a better life for her daughters. It’s all in that key she received. 

Financial Pathways That Work for Single Parents

When you're already stretching every dollar to cover daily needs, the prospect of saving for a down payment or qualifying for a mortgage on a single income can feel impossible. 

Yet your desire to create stability and build a legacy for your children remains powerful. The good news? There are financial pathways specifically designed for families like yours.

Minnesota Resources

We won't tell you qualifying for a mortgage on one income is easy. But these Minnesota programs were built to address exactly what you're facing:

• Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity: We've worked with countless single parents. Our mortgage program looks at your actual budget reality, not just conventional formulas. We understand that childcare costs take a huge bite out of your income but shouldn't disqualify you from homeownership.
• Dakota County Housing Services: This county program offers housing support tailored to your family's needs and partners with Habitat for Humanity to create pathways to homeownership.
• Minnesota Housing's Start Up program: This program offers first-time homebuyer loans that acknowledge the value of stable housing for families of all structures.
• Down payment assistance programs: These programs vary by county and city, but they can provide grants that you don't have to pay back.

These programs exist because your family's journey to homeownership matters, regardless of your family structure.

National Programs

When every minute of your day already belongs to someone else, these straightforward options offer clarity:

• FHA loans: Created with understanding that life doesn't always follow traditional financial paths, with low interest rate options.
• USDA Rural Development loans: Recognizes that security for your family shouldn't require a massive down payment. If you're open to living just outside major urban areas, these zero-down-payment options can be game-changers.
• VA loans: Honors your service by removing homebuying barriers. If you've served our country, you've earned this benefit that requires little or no down payment.
• Down payment assistance grants: Acknowledges that saving while single-parenting requires extraordinary support.

Behind each of these programs are professionals who've helped countless single parents transform homeownership from a distant dream to lived reality.

Practical Financial Steps

When traditional financial advice doesn't reflect your reality as a single parent, it's easy to feel discouraged. Your financial journey looks different—that's okay. These approaches honor your unique situation:

• Track your actual spending, including the countless small expenses that come with raising children alone.
• Build credit through the bills you're already managing, turning your everyday responsibility into financial strength.
• Connect with financial coaches who respect your time constraints and understand single-parent dynamics.
• Start small with savings, knowing that even modest amounts represent extraordinary commitment.

Every step forward, no matter how small, represents your dedication to creating security for your family. Take it from Arlisa, a single parent Habitat homeowner since 2023. She looked up articles on “how to save $1,000 in a year” and stuck the tips on her wall with post-it notes to always remind her of her goal. She quit smoking, did her own cooking, picked up extra shifts at the pharmacy where she works, and designated every extra dollar to something. She knew if she had a structure and rules to follow, she could stick to it. “You gotta learn how to cut things out. I can go have fun, but I don’t overdo it. When you are ready to, you can do it, too!” 

Creating Your Homebuying Support Network

Not all real estate professionals understand what it's like to house-hunt with kids in tow or make decisions without a partner. Look for professionals who offer:

• Scheduling that respects your limited free time and recognizes your children's routines.
• Communication that fits your life—whether that's texts during lunch breaks or calls after bedtime.
• Understanding that your timeline may need flexibility when childcare plans fall through.
• Patience with your questions and decisions, recognizing you carry this responsibility alone.

Although Habitat homeowner and single mom Teri worked in the mortgage industry for a big bank, but she wasn’t able to afford a home of her own until she found Habitat’s homeownership program. After almost a year of homeownership preparation, she closed on a home she loves for her and her daughter.

“The open market gave me freedom to search without limits and find and obtain my own realtor. This program offers everything that any other company or bank I attempted to go through offers, but more importantly Habitat showed they cared,” Teri says. 

Building Your Family’s Future

We've seen the doubt in so many single parents' eyes when we first talk about homeownership. "That's for other people, not me." But we've also seen doubt transform into determination, and eventually, into the pride of holding their own keys.

Homeownership as a single parent comes with unique challenges—financial hurdles on one income, time constraints between work and family responsibilities, and the weight of making major decisions alone. Yet they highlight the strength you bring to this process. Your determination to create stability and build a legacy for your children is powerful motivation, and youdon't have to navigate this path alone. By taking one step at a time with the right support, you can turn homeownership from a dream into your family's reality.