Homeowner Profile: The Carney Family
The Carney Family in front of their soon-to-be completed home
Meet The Carneys
The Carney family consists of mom Katrina and her three boys- 7-year-old Gabriel and 5-year-old identical twins Noah and Caleb. Katrina was born in Richmond, but moved with her family to central Florida when she was 11. She has been on her own since age 15. She takes classes at J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College and loves her job at a local Outback Steak House, where she has worked for the past 7 years. She hopes to one day become a nurse.
In 2007, she and her children were forced to flee a dangerous relationship when her then-husband set their house on fire in a drug-induced rage. Since that time, Katrina has prided herself on making a better life for herself and her boys. She first applied for our Homeownership Program in 2008, and was denied due to bad credit. But as Katrina says, success is about “getting up one more time than you fall down”. She worked hard to improve her credit and get out of debt, and was eventually accepted in to the Homeownership Program. Katrina is working to complete 350 hours of required ‘sweat equity’ and several homeownership classes.
Katrina and her boys currently live in an apartment that is too small for them. When their new home on Ronnie Street in Henrico County is finally completed, the boys will no longer have to share a room and will have a big yard in which to run around, play t-ball and fly toy airplanes. The Carneys all say they can’t wait to finally have a place to call their own.
Come help us finish the Carney’s home. To volunteer on Ronnie Street or contribute financially to the construction of the Carney’s home , call (804) 232-7001 or visit www.richmondhabitat.org.
