2026 Partner Families
Home #73 - Miles Family - Community Build
Antoinette Miles, who’s known to everyone as Toni, has always centered her life around one thing - family.
A single mother of four children, Avion (20), Adnan (16), Alaina (16), and Addison (14), Toni has spent years balancing work, parenting, and the everyday challenges that come with raising teenagers while also preparing them for adulthood.
Until recently, Toni and her children were living in a rental apartment. The situation wasn’t unsafe, but it was increasingly unsustainable. Rent kept climbing, stretching her budget thinner each month.
Even while working full-time as a certified nursing assistant and doing everything she could to provide stability, there were moments when she worried about whether she could keep up with the payments. Still, she persevered, determined to give her children the best life possible.
Applying to Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County was, in Toni’s words, ‘a leap of faith.’ Something told her to try anyway.
Through classes and meetings, Toni began learning about the homeownership process, financial responsibilities, and the support system surrounding Habitat families. Each session brought new understanding and renewed confidence that this opportunity could truly change their future.
For Toni, home represents security after years of uncertainty, permanence after years of rising costs, and pride after years of hard work.
Toni’s leap of faith is becoming a reality, one that will allow her family not just to get by, but to truly thrive.
Home #72 - Phillips Family - Marathon Build
Miranda Phillips’ home is full of life - the kind of joyful, busy energy that only a big, close-knit family can create.
She is raising three young children: three-year-old twins Samuel and Kingston, and their two-year-old sister, Bianca.
Her family also spans another generation. Miranda’s oldest daughter, Kianna, is 23 and a mother herself, with three young children - Trevon (5), Aaliyah (4), and
baby Amira (1).
When they are all together, the house fills with laughter, tiny footsteps, and the beautiful chaos of multiple generations growing up side-by-side. Until now, however, that life has unfolded inside a tiny two-bedroom apartment.
Miranda and her three youngest children have done their best to make the small space work, but the limitations are constant. At night, unfamiliar noises from the building sometimes frighten the children. At the same time, rising rent looms as a constant worry, threatening the family’s stability year after year.
Partnering with Habitat, Miranda gained not only the opportunity for a home but also valuable financial knowledge and confidence. Working full-time as a medical assistant, she entered the program with little debt, yet the required classes strengthened her ability to manage money and plan for the future. For someone who never imagined owning a home of her own, that preparation has been transformative.
For her, home means everything. It means stability in a world of rising costs. It means a yard where her children can run freely. Most of all, it means finally having a place that is truly theirs, not temporary, not uncertain, but permanent.
Home #71 - Melick Family - Apostle Build
Lei Melick and her two little ones, Aiden and Ellianna are a family whose story is one of resilience, hope, and new beginnings.
Aiden is two years old and full of curiosity. He loves Pixar movies, playing outside, and going for long walks. His little sister, Ellianna, is one year old and already a “ball of sunshine,” dancing, singing, and happily following her big brother wherever he goes.
Before partnering with Habitat, Lei and her children were living in an older trailer that needed constant repairs and was infested with roaches.
No matter how hard she cleaned or tried to fix things, it never felt safe or healthy. Eventually, Lei made the difficult but necessary decision to move in with her parents. For more than a year, the three of them have shared a single room. She’s grateful for the family support but felt crowded and without space for the kids to fully play, grow, and simply be children.
Lei first learned about Habitat on a middle school mission trip, helping build homes for other families. She never imagined that years later, she would apply for the same opportunity - this time for her own children.
Through Habitat’s partnership and financial coaching, Lei has done more than prepare for a house, she has prepared for a future. As she learned to manage her income working at a car dealership, she gained the budgeting skills and confidence needed to succeed as a homeowner. Instead of feeling stuck, Lei now feels equipped.
This family’s future is no longer defined by cramped spaces or temporary solutions. It is defined by possibility and a place to truly call home.
Home #70 - Sparks Family
For Melissa Sparks, home has always meant more than just a roof overhead: it’s a place of safety, warmth, and belonging. But for Melissa, her three children, and her nephew, that sense of security has been hard to find. Their current mobile home, once a refuge, now feels like a source of constant worry.
Overloaded electrical circuits and inadequate heating have turned everyday life into a challenge, leaving Melissa anxious about her family’s well-being. Despite working hard as a local delivery driver, she couldn't get ahead enough to alleviate the constant stress of their living situation.
“When we were named a partner family, we were overwhelmed but excited to know soon we wouldn't have to stress about the number of issues we've been dealing with,” Melissa shared.
For years, she has carried the weight of uncertainty, wondering if the next cold snap or electrical failure would put her loved ones at risk. Her dream has always been simple: a safe, stable home where her family can thrive.
“My biggest dream of home ownership is being able to establish a stable foundation for my family and personalizing our own living space,” she said. A home where her children and nephew can laugh without fear, study without distraction, and grow without the shadow of unsafe conditions looming over them.
The Sparks family is ready for this new chapter. And thanks to all the Habitat supporters, they will finally have what every family deserves - a space to call a home of their own.
Home #69 - Karsenay Family
Maribeth Karsenay has been dreaming of giving her son Luca a home where he feels loved and can grow and play without limits. As a young single mother, she works hard, balancing her work responsibilities in the finance industry while making sure her son always feels safe – because that hasn’t always been the case.
Since Maribeth and Luca escaped their house - that was too unsafe to even consider it as a home - they have been in transition. Due to the severity of their domestic situation their safety must remain the top priority, so she is sharing her story using a different name and Habitat is utilizing AI-generated imagery, rather than a personal photo, to maintain strict confidentiality. These protective measures enable Maribeth's incredible story of resilience to be shared while ensuring she
and Luca remain secure from the shadows of their past.
Complicating matters further, Maribeth has a medical condition that made navigating the stairs in their most recent rental treacherous. Between fleeing her former situation and managing her health, she felt like she was climbing an impossible mountain. And the struggle of living paycheck to paycheck made the dream of homeownership feel out of reach.
Then her mother recommended Habitat.
“Maribeth,” her mom said, “the worst thing that could happen is you get denied, but the best thing could happen, and you can change both of your lives forever.”
When Maribeth was chosen as a Habitat partner, relief, joy, and gratitude washed over her. No more fear of the stairs, no more wondering if they’d ever have a safe place to truly call their own. The future looks bright and full of possibility.
“Home isn’t just a place. It’s where love grows, memories are made, and futures are built,” says Maribeth. “It’s more than a house - it’s the promise of a better life, one we will cherish forever.”
Home #68 - Justice Family
Kylie Justice has always been resilient, but nothing could have prepared her for the battle she faced five years ago when Covid Neuropathy attacked her nervous system, leaving her paralyzed from the neck down.
A devoted mother of two energetic boys, Connor who is now 11 and Cooper who is now 7, she suddenly found herself unable to move, let alone care for them as she always had.
For six long months in the hospital, she fought through grueling therapy, relearning how to use her arms, hands, and legs. Returning home in a wheelchair, she relied on her parents for support as she worked tirelessly to regain her independence.
Through sheer determination and three years of healing, Kylie
finally stood on her own again - both physically and in life. Employed as an office coordinator at a physical therapy firm, she realized she was ready to give her boys something more - a home of their own. While living with her parents gave them a home filled with love and support, it was time to build a future where they could grow, dream, and create their own memories.
Encouraged by her mother and stepfather, who have served as Habitat volunteers, Kylie applied, hopeful but unsure of what the future would hold. “Habitat helped us stay motivated to complete all the requirements,” describes Kylie.
“Becoming a Habitat partner family is not just about owning a home, it is about gaining a support system, a community that stands by you every step of the way,” says Kylie. “It is about resilience, hope, and the unwavering belief that no matter how hard life’s challenges may be, there is always a way forward.”
When the day finally comes for Kylie to literally, and figuratively, step into her new home, it won’t be just about walls and a roof - it will be a fresh start, and a celebration of her physical journey of wellness and overcoming obstacles. The home will be a place where laughter will echo through the halls, where birthdays and holidays will be celebrated, and where a mother can watch her sons thrive.
It is the foundation for a future filled with love, security, and endless possibilities.
Learn about Tiffany's story with the Financial Opportunity Center that led to a plan, a home and the freedom to love people for a living.