Rapid City, SD – 2024. At Black Hills Area Habitat, we do what we do to serve our partner families like Elena, a 33-year-old single mother of two who also cares for her three nephews. A proud member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and active participant in her community, she is known for having a big heart. Raised in Rapid City with her nine siblings, she witnessed her own mother’s participation in the Black Hills Area habitat home program.
Prior to obtaining her Habitat home, she had been facing housing instability as well as battling health concerns for son. He suffers from respiratory problems as well as three different disabilities. Elana wished to find a safe and healthy environment to raise her children. Finally, she decided to apply for a Habitat home.
After completing the required sweat hours and classes, Elana obtained a Habitat home that resides next to her childhood house in the Sioux Addition in Rapid City! It is a dream come true for Elana as she will now own a home in a neighborhood that has memories from her own childhood, and she also can help create new, wonderful memories for her own children.
“This will have a huge impact on my children,” she said. “This is a life-changing opportunity that will allow my children to grow up as I did with a safe yard and healthy environment. I look forward to planting a garden and going back to college to finish a degree in social work. I’ll no longer have to live in fear of being homeless with my children.”