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On October 3, we had the pleasure of celebrating our milestone of 200 homes by welcoming home twin home neighbors Dalonda and Vickie! Each of these hardworking women completed their partnership requirements and purchased their Millard Acres homes that morning with an affordable mortgage provided by Habitat.
We then got to celebrate with their friends, family and Habitat supporters at the 200th Home Dedication Celebration! Linda, our first Habitat homeowner in Sioux Falls, joined us to help hand over keys and gift a “home” doormat like the one she was given at her own home dedication 35 years ago. It was a special day full of joy, laughter and the amazing people that work with us to build homes, communities and hope.
Meet Dalonda
Growing up, Dalonda lived in several cities and towns including Sioux Falls and moved back for the amazing opportunities and variety of family-friendly activities. She works full-time as an education assistant and part-time as a server at an area restaurant. While she saved up for a place of her own, Dalonda and her two daughters were sharing rent and living space with a relative in an affordable apartment building that had vandalism and safety issues. However, buying a home was unaffordable because of the high market prices.
When a family member encouraged her to look into Habitat’s Homeownership program, she decided to apply in October 2023. In April 2024, Dalonda was accepted into the program and worked hard to build a stable home for her daughters. The girls finally got to see inside their home on dedication day and were excited to do all the things they couldn’t do in their apartment like sidewalk chalk and painting the walls whatever color they wanted.
Meet Vickie
Vickie grew up in rural South Dakota where her family enjoyed farming and country living. She’s called Sioux Falls home for the last 33 years and likes the caring and diverse community of our city. Many years ago, she found herself unemployed which caused her to spiral into homelessness. Vickie worked hard to regain full-time employment and get a studio apartment.
She now works full-time as a housekeeping manager at one of the Sioux Falls hotels. Though she’d been saving up for a downpayment on a home, purchasing a home through a traditional mortgage was not affordable. When she heard about Habitat’s program on the news, she applied in October 2023 and was approved for partnership in April 2024. Vickie is deeply grateful for acceptance into the Habitat for Humanity program and believes this is a huge blessing.
In the News
Sioux Falls Simplified: What’s next for Habitat for Humanity after dedicating its 200th home?
Dakota News Now: Habitat for Humanity celebrates 200 homes built in 35 years
KELOLAND: 200 homes dedicated with love and security
Argus Leader: ‘I helped build this.’ Sioux Falls homeowners grateful for Habitat for Humanity
Thank You
Dalonda and Vickie’s homes were made possible by the generosity of Pathward, the Kinder Future Fund, U.S. Bank Foundation, Bluestone Federal Credit Union, Mead Lumber, Hy-Vee, Kwik Star and Scheels. We would also like to thank our many other corporate and private donors for their support.
Thank you to Project Warm-Up for their donation of blankets and Ben Reifel Middle School for making welcome home kits and signs for our new homebuyers.
Thank you to the 462 volunteers who devoted 2,062 hours to building these homes alongside Vickie and Dalonda.
