Years ago, while serving in the military in Texas, Eric volunteered to build homes with a local Habitat for Humanity. He could never have imagined that one day Habitat would be helping him repair his own home.  

Eric lives in Bellevue with his mother, grandmother, and son. It’s where he pictures himself living for years to come.  

But their home needed significant repairs, including a new roof, gutters and siding. 

That’s when they discovered Habitat Omaha’s Home Improvement Program.  

“I used to volunteer when I first joined the military,” Eric said. “When we were looking for a place for the repairs, my mom was searching and found Habitat and I was like, I forgot about Habitat.”

Thanks to a Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Fund (NAHTF) Grant through the 

Nebraska Department of Economic Development, Eric was able to make those critical repairs.  Habitat Omaha did a full roof replacement, gutter replacement; new vinyl siding was installed as was a new window near the front door.  

“Working with Eric was a reminder that our work is about much more than home repairs,” said Grant, Habitat Omaha Home Improvement Program Project Manager. “While his home needed significant repairs to the roof, gutters, and siding, what stood out most was his excitement about raising his son there and creating memories that would last for years to come.” 

Eric’s experience with Habitat began years earlier when he volunteered alongside his fellow service members while training to become an aircraft mechanic.  

“We were doing roofs and shingling and all of the various tasks, and I didn’t have a clue,” Eric said. “We were down by San Antonio for three to six months and it’s in two phases of training and as a part of it you had to volunteer.” 

As for his experience working with Habitat Omaha on his critical home repairs? 

“It was good and everyone was friendly,” Eric said. “They are always really nice and very respectful. Also, I would definitely say people should volunteer. There is definitely a lot of good stuff you can learn that will help you out in the long run. I had never done any of that in my life. It was so fun.”