Share your Housing Story
Let's promote understanding on this important community issue. Share your experience finding housing in Blacksburg and how it has impacted your life or that of your family. Feel free to upload a picture with your story.
-
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link
Shirley Huffman – At Home on Grissom Lane
Shirley Huffman moved to Blacksburg, Virginia four years ago in search of a supportive senior community. She had been living in Radford, Virginia to be close to her daughter, but had a challenging time connecting with the people in her community. Shirley began looking for a new place to live in Blacksburg. She wanted to find a place where she could not only be a part of a community/neighborhood with others in a similar life stage, but also wanted to find a home where she would feel safe and comfortable.
Shirley was familiar with the college town, having attended Virginia... Continue reading
-
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link
Jenn Million: Walking and Biking from Home is a Top Priority
Jenn Million and her family love being active. They spend their quality time together outdoors - kayaking, mountain biking, fishing, and hiking.
Jenn loves living in Blacksburg, where she works at Virginia Tech and feels connected to the community of students she serves and works alongside. Being able to live in town was a top priority for her and her family, who place a high value on reducing their dependence on cars for transportation. Jenn is passionate about cycling and she devotes a significant portion of her time and energy to advocating for bike and pedestrian safety here in Blacksburg... Continue reading
-
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link
Betty Whitlock Feels Lucky to Have Found 55+ Housing in Blacksburg
Betty fondly remembers the Blacksburg of her youth – a downtown consisting of about 6 stores along Main Street, and beyond that plenty of cornfields. Saturday night’s entertainment was driving downtown with her family to sit on Main Street for a weekly chat with friends and neighbors. “Dad always parked on the right side of the A&P.” Born in 1938, Betty has seen a lifetime of changes in this community where she grew up, went to school, married, raised her children, and had a career.
Her first home in Blacksburg was on "VPI’s campus." Her dad worked for the dairy... Continue reading
-
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link
Brandie Lemmon: Building a Life for Her Family in Blacksburg
Brandie Lemmon moved to Blacksburg from Connecticut when she was nine years old. Her father is a VT alum and loved the natural beauty of this area, but the biggest reason they returned was for her sister. They felt that her sister would thrive in Blacksburg with its commitment to education and top notch special needs resources.
Now Brandie and her husband Derek, alumni of Radford University and Virginia Tech, have settled here in Blacksburg with their two children. Brandie is a teacher at Blacksburg United Methodist Preschool and Derek works for Luna Innovations. They are active in their congregation... Continue reading
-
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link
Crystal Hollins Needed a Safe, Affordable Home to Raise Her Children
Crystal is from Blacksburg and works at Virginia Tech in mail services. Prior to partnering with Habitat for Humanity to purchase a home in 2012, Crystal lived in a two-bedroom trailer in Blacksburg with her son and daughter. The trailer needed significant and expensive repairs that were beyond the family budget. Also, her two children were growing and needed their own rooms. Crystal realized she needed a different housing option, one that was safe (not in need of repair) and provided more space. It was important to her that the family live in Blacksburg where she works and where her... Continue reading
-
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link
For a single income family, housing will never be affordable on a teacher’s salary
Megan Ihlefeld moved to Blacksburg in 2009 with her two young children after her husband passed away in 2008. She loves her job as a science teacher at Blacksburg Middle School, but has struggled to find affordable housing in Blacksburg. Megan lives with her two children in an apartment of a family-style home in a neighborhood that is a mix of student rentals and families. It is strange for her to see students renting a home in what is intended to be a family neighborhood knowing she can’t afford to rent the same home.
Megan feels connected to Blacksburg’s mountain... Continue reading
-
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link
Don't Forget Housing for Front Line Workers
“People saw us differently during the pandemic. It was not just doctors and nurses. We were front line workers. People have to eat.”
John Jones has been a mainstay at the North Main Street Food Lion for nine years. He started his employment there as a student at Virginia Tech in 2013. John arrived in Blacksburg from a small town in Nelson County, Virginia. “My hometown has one traffic light and only 135 people in my graduating high school class.” Even though coming to a larger town was a transition, Blacksburg reminded John of his hometown. “It is a good... Continue reading
-
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link
Certain Things become More Important as You Get Older
Digitizing history: The final act of throwing out her baby book was painful for Lois but the process of digitizing her baby photographs and snippets of writings in her mother’s hand was particularly meaningful. Lois recognizes “if she doesn’t go through her belongings now so her family can enjoy them, they might be packed up and put in boxes until her children retire and have time to look through them.”
Lois moved to Blacksburg five years ago. She and her husband lived in a house in Minnesota for 31 years before moving into an apartment when her husband needed... Continue reading
-
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link
Finding a Home in My Own Hometown
“There are a million reasons to live in Blacksburg.” 25-year-old Peter Sorensen grew up here and graduated from Babson College. When the pandemic hit he was living in Brooklyn, New York. As he moved to remote work, with the newfound flexibility to live wherever he chooses, he was drawn back to his hometown.
In addition to being close to family, Peter was attracted to Blacksburg’s unique mix: a rural setting, where his love of nature was fed by opportunities for kayaking, fishing, and canoeing, blended with a city feel that comes with cool coffee houses and restaurants with menus in... Continue reading
-
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link
A Habitat for Humanity Success Story
For the past 22 years, Nakia has worked her way up at Rainbow Rider Child Care Center from floater to overseeing teacher mentoring for the facility. Charles, her husband, has worked at Spectrum Brands for 9 years, currently as a Consumer Relations Specialist. Their oldest son, Christopher, was diagnosed with microcephaly resulting in developmental delays and is confined to a wheelchair. Their youngest, Christian, is a thriving 6th grader at Blacksburg Middle School who loves to read and play basketball. Nakia and her husband partnered with Habitat for Humanity in 2018 to buy their first home- an affordable townhouse... Continue reading