Lafayette mother of 3 moves into Habitat's 331st home build
LAFAYETTE, Ind. – For Val Morris and her three sons, moving into her new Habitat for Humanity home in Lafayette at first became Home, Delayed Home.
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the dream of a home of her own, which began in 2019, took until June 2022 to become a reality.
After putting in at least 250 hours of sweat equity working on a Habitat build – half spent on her home and the other half for another family – Morris and her sons, OJ, Omari, and Omyr, now have a Home, Sweet Home.
A licensed cosmetologist at age 18, Morris, now owning her own fabric design business, left Chicago seven years ago, telling the Lafayette nonprofit she wanted a better life for her family.
"In my opinion," said Bob Anderson, executive director of Lafayette Habitat for Humanity, "Val is a rock-star mom as she sets an amazing example for her three boys with hard work, determination and perseverance."
Tired of renting and the rules of rental apartments, Val Morris saw owning a home as a way to create stability and consistency in her sons' lives, Anderson relayed, giving her time to grow her business.
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When the prospect of building her own home arose in 2019, according to Habitat, Morris was most excited to learn the necessary building skills and meet new people.
OJ, the oldest son, takes his spot in the birth order seriously, seeing the importance of being a good role model for his younger brothers. He's outgoing, athletic and enjoys math.
Omari, the middle son, is the thinker, Habitat stated, a problem solver. He loves anime.
The boys' mother describes Omyr, the youngest, as "a little bossy" and outgoing. He enjoys playing with blocks, reading books and dancing.
"Almost every time I was at the jobsite of Val's house build," Anderson said, "she was at the house working hard."
The Morris home, sponsored by Habitat Restore, marked No. 331 for Lafayette Habitat, which utilizes sponsors and volunteers to provide affordable housing – "one house and one family at a time," Anderson said.
Habitat ReStore is located at 3815 Fortune Dr. in Lafayette. The street name foreshadows what a home can be for families.
"Our vision is that everyone has a decent place to live and we will continue to build toward that end," the executive director said.
The Restore is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.
"We are so thankful for the many that helped with this house build," Anderson said. "Daniel Comus and crew from Bob Rohrman Toyota showed up weekly to work on this house. A group from Caterpillar helped with the drywall, and Ryan Basinger with Lowes helped with the landscaping.
"We are very thankful to all the work that Habitat Retirees put into this house. Our retirees work every Tuesday and Thursday on Habitat projects. We are thankful for the Lafayette Housing Authority, Homestead CS and Mayor (Tony) Roswarski's constant support of Habitat both with encouragement to the family and ongoing support of Habitat."
If you would like to volunteer or donate, contact Anderson at bob@lafayettehabitat.org
Deanna Watson is the executive editor at the Journal & Courier. Contact her at dwatson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @deannawatson66.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lafayette mother of 3 moves into Habitat's 331st home build
