Jennifer Hollins recently bought a house. Jennifer hadn't been planning on buying a house, until one day her landlord knocked on her door with an offer. “I had never thought about buying this place,” Jennifer said. “My landlord just knocked on my door one day and said, ‘I’m selling this house. Would you be willing to sign a land contract to own the property?’, and here we are!” Jennifer couldn’t believe her luck, “It was a good opportunity and I took it.”

Except, we have started at the end. This story begins months earlier when Jennifer was facing eviction, from the very home she now owns.

“I was going to school and trying to work at the same time,” Jennifer says. “I just got behind. I was doing an externship as well as being in school, so I struggled to find work while also doing the externship. It was 8 am till 5 pm, every day. I was struggling to pay my bills, and I fell behind on my rent.”

Many students find different levels of support when doing education, “Other students had help. They were living at home, or their partners were supporting them, it's a different story for everybody. I was alone and trying to do it on my own, trying to stay afloat.” Balancing education, an externship, and a job led to Jennifer having to make some hard financial decisions, leading to her falling behind on rent. “I was in danger of being evicted, then my landlord referred me to the Eviction Prevention Program (EPP). The program helped me pay the rent I was behind on and helped with a little more for the next month. It set me up, I was able to build back up after that help”.

“I’m still in my house! EPP gave me a stepping stone to get back on track.”

— Jennifer Hollins

For Jennifer, buying a house was a large financial decision. However it has some benefits. “It’s a cheaper payment now per month, then when I was renting,” Jennifer says while also acknowledging the challenges. “Obviously, there are other payments. Financially things are still a struggle, but I’m still here staying afloat, and I’m confident it was a good decision”. Like many in Muskegon Jennifer is part of the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed) community, who despite working full time, financially struggle from day to day. Jennifer puts it like this, “Paying the bills is always a balance, and you gotta find that balance. You can only do so much when you're making so little. I’m barely making it, but I am making it. I’m able to put that extra money towards other things. I’m not able to make any savings, but I am caught up with all my bills and have a little extra to live off.”

Jennifer relaxes after a long day as a nurse by reading books and watching TV shows.

Despite the financial challenges, Jennifer is a proud homeowner. “I feel good about buying it! I don’t regret it. It’s mine, and I’m proud to own this home. There's a sense of relief, because I don't have to worry as much as I did before. I’m paying my bills, and it’s all mine”.

Jennifer feels lucky to own a home in Muskegon. “It's really beneficial to own a house here. There's not a lot of affordable rental housing available around here. What's on the market is often very highly-priced. A lot of people are looking to own homes or to rent at a good price. It’s a large hassle to find a place to live here, because there's just not a lot of options within people’s budgets.”

As a homeowner, Jennifer is able to look forward with more clarity, and has lots of ideas for the future. “Maybe I’ll put a little “woman cave” down in the basement! I hope to be in this house long enough to have the option to sell it. I could get something else or maybe move out of town. It's a good house, in a good area. I think if I ever sell it, I can make a good profit from it. I could also keep it in the family, pass it on to my kids, or maybe rent it out. Maybe I could turn it into a B&B or have it as my summer house and winter in Florida!”

For now, Jennifer’s happy where she is, and looking forward to the summer. “I love to sit on my porch when the weather’s nice, have a glass of wine, and listen to some music, just watching the world go by! Just chilling.”