A native of Charlottesville and single mother of three children—a daughter in her 20’s, a son in high school, and an 8-year- old daughter—Kizzy grew up surrounded by a loving family: siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. Yet, now, only Kizzy, her kids, and her father remain in town. Everyone else moved away.
Kizzy dropped out of high school when her older daughter was born. In 2013, she earned her GED with the goal of getting a certificate in medical billing and coding. She completed the coursework but didn’t have enough money to pay for the exam.
Nonetheless, Kizzy was determined to find a “forever” home in Charlottesville. “I’m not going to give up. This is my home and I’m going to fight to stay,” she told City Council members at a public meeting advocating for affordable housing. In 2018, while living in a single room with her two younger children, she applied for the Pathways to Housing program offered by Habitat for Humanity. With financial coaching and regular payments on auto and student loans, Kizzy’s credit score improved, and she was able to advance to Habitat’s home ownership program.
In 2020, Kizzy joined UWGC’s Family Investment Program. With her Habitat coach, she established a plan that included UWGC matched savings for a home down payment. UWGC also supported Kizzy with the money she needed for the medical coding/billing certification test and a laptop required for her son’s virtual learning. Kizzy was one of the first participants in UWGC’s Driving Lives Forward program, and as a result, established an affordable line of credit on a reliable used vehicle.
Thanks to the coordinated efforts of UWGC and Charlottesville’s social impact sector and her own force of will, in March 2021, Kizzy purchased her newly constructed 3-bedroom Habitat home. She works full-time cleaning rooms at a hotel and has started her own residential cleaning business to earn extra income. With Kizzy’s enthusiasm as a participant in Envision, there is little doubt she will continue her success as she works to set and accomplish new goals!