TAMPA – For two hardworking single moms, the dream of a safe, stable home had always felt out of reach. Cheetare Bennett and Dawn Johnson have both shouldered the weight of caring for multiple children and older loved ones while facing rising rent and unsafe living conditions. That all changed Aug. 28 when the two women became neighbors on the same block in East Tampa.
Surrounded by family, friends and community supporters, they received the keys to their new Habitat for Humanity homes during a joint dedication celebration.
Cheetare, a certified nursing assistant, is raising seven children, including a son with special needs, while also caring for her bedridden godfather.
“Home to me is never moving again,” Cheetare said. “It means your kids always having somewhere to call home.”
Dawn, who works for an independent contractor, has five children, two with disabilities. She also cares for her mother, who is partially paralyzed from a stroke and once worked two jobs to raise her own family.
“Without all of you, this dream, this blessing, wouldn’t be possible,” Dawn told volunteers.
Both families have invested hundreds of sweat equity hours building Habitat homes and volunteering at events. In return, they’ll get an affordable mortgage with payments capped at no more than 30% of their income, making homeownership a reality that once felt impossible.
“Habitat homes don’t just change lives today,” said Tina Forcier, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Tampa Bay Hillsborough. “They change the trajectory of families for generations. Seeing moms, children and grandparents all able to put down roots is what this work is all about.”
