40 Stories from 40 Years: Lavonne’s Forever Home
More than 22 years after moving in, Lavonne and her
daughter Quinn still live in their Habitat home, which became a safe haven and beacon of hope for their family.
Lavonne and her husband James applied to Habitat’s homeownership program in 2002 after seeing an ad in the Visitation Catholic Church bulletin. Because James was wheelchair bound, it was Lavonne who did the family’s 400 hours of sweat equity once they were accepted. Their house was built in just three weeks in a ‘Blitz Build.’
“Every Sunday after church we would bring Quinn to site to see the progress,” Lavonne shares.
Their home became a true source of hope for Lavonne and James when Habitat approved the installation of a permanent ramp along withan extra room equipped with the necessary plumbing and electrical hookups for James’s medical needs. When James’s kidneys began to fail, doctors gave him just six months to live. Lavonne left work to care for him full time. Thanks to the dedicated space in their Habitat home, James was able to receive dialysis in comfort, extending his life another ten years.
“I’m just so thankful to Habitat. Without this house I’m not sure where we would be,” says Lavonne.
Lavonne was able to complete her degree in Health and Information Studies from Tacoma Community College and now has a job at DaVita Kidney Care as a payment processor.
Quinn, who was just seven years old when the family moved into their Habitat home, spent three years living in Alaska before returning to Tacoma where she met her boyfriend, Jack. After being priced out of their rental when rent nearly doubled, they moved in with Lavonne. Their return has been a blessing, as Quinn and Jack have been able to support Lavonne while she manages her own health challenges.
Quinn works as an outreach coordinator with Comprehensive Life Resources, a nonprofit organization that helps people toward mental wellness. Quinn’s work is focused on supporting the houseless community by providing resources and helping individuals transition into stable housing. Lavonne deeply values the work her daughter is doing and, through her own workplace at DaVita, organized a snack drive to support the organization after it was impacted by recent funding cuts.
Quinn and Jack have an affinity for boats, and Jack works as a diver cleaning boats in the Port of Tacoma. The two own a sailboat together and have plans of sailing to different locations along the coast. Their dream is to partner with the Tacoma Boat Builders to start a nonprofit that teaches Tacoma youth how to sail.
“We believe sailing is a birthright if you’ve grown up in Tacoma,” says Quinn. “I mean, we are surrounded by the beautiful Puget Sound.”
Lavonne is close to paying off her Habitat mortgage but recently used some of her equity to make renovations that will allow her to age there comfortably. She installed new flooring, updated the bathroom with a walk-in tub, repainted the house, and added a new railing in the front yard. She also continues to lovingly care for the roses she first planted back in 2003 when her family moved in.
“I just feel this responsibility to take care of this home, because it is such a gift,” Lavonne said.