HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — In just a couple of months, Kesha Gentry will complete an almost unbelievable transformation that has been years in the making.
She will transition from being homeless to being a homeowner.
“I fell down on my knees and prayed to God like, ‘Thank you, Lord!’” she said.
Gentry became homeless in 2018, shortly after she got married, and was no longer eligible for Section 8 housing.
The mother, who works in medical insurance customer service, spent periods of time living in her car, in cheap motels, and most recently, in Metropolitan Ministries.
“It was very hard. And then, I can’t even spend time with my kids — my grandkids or my daughter,” she said through tears. “You’re making the money, and you’re keeping a job, but you can’t survive and make ends meet.”
Finally, she applied with Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County. The process wasn’t easy, but with Habitat’s help, Gentry managed to increase her credit score from 539 to 703 and was selected as a prospective Habitat homeowner.
Gentry is finishing up some of the prerequisite volunteer hours but should be presented with the keys to her new home within a few months.
“When I look at the house — and they thought about me — I feel like I was something special,” she said with tears in her eyes.
Tina Forcier, the CEO of Habitat Hillsborough, also gets teary-eyed thinking about the lives her nonprofit has changed.
“You’re talking about teachers, firefighters, people that check you in at the doctor’s office. Might be a server.” Forcier said. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever been involved in.”
As both a housing and an affordability crisis continue to cripple many families, Forcier says her nonprofit’s mission is as vital as ever.
However, in Hillsborough County, Habitat’s work to change lives recently got harder.
During a Board of County Commissioner meeting on Feb. 7, a slim majority of county commissioners voted to end the county’s Affordable Housing Relief Program.
“I was stunned,” Forcier said. “You know, given the state of affordable housing right now — there’s such a shortage, and we don’t see the wages of low-income families increasing at the same pace as we see housing prices going up. I was completely shocked.”
The program, which has been in place for almost 30 years, incentivizes developers to build affordable housing by waiving certain county impact fees. According to research presented during the Feb. meeting, the program helped create 1,248 affordable homes over the past five years alone.
Some commissioners, however, said the program — which cost the county roughly 1.8 million over the past five years — comes at too great a cost to taxpayers.
“It’s my position that we should not be padding developers’ pockets with taxpayer dollars, and that’s what paying impact fees are doing, in essence,” said Commissioner Michael Owen during the Feb. meeting.
Forcier, however, finds fault in that argument. She says the program’s termination will cost nonprofits like hers and prevent them from helping more people become productive members of society who contribute to the county’s overall economy.
According to Forcier, the program's termination will cost Habitat Hillsborough $250,000 in FY 2025 and $245,000 in FY 2026.
“It’s pretty significant,” she said. “We’re going to be able to serve fewer people.”
Forcier said that if Habitat Hillsborough cannot find a way to offset the loss of funding through other means, one fewer home will be built each year.
“Every home makes a difference because sometimes you’re talking about a family of five,” she said. “That’s five people that are affected.”
ABC Action News reached out to Commissioner Owen for comment but did not hear back.
In a statement, Commissioner Joshua Wostal, who also voted to end the program, stood by the decision.
“Property Taxes make homes less affordable. Using unavoidable property taxes to pay for other homes only necessitates the need to continue to make homes less affordable by needing to raise property taxes,” he wrote. “Habitat has many other taxes they can leverage to meet their goals.”
Forcier, however, says money is tight, and the price of building Habitat homes continues to increase as demand for more housing does.
So, she hopes commissioners will ultimately reverse their decision or create an exemption for nonprofits like hers.
“It’s unaffordable to build affordable,” she added.
Gentry would also like to see commissioners revisit their decision. In Hillsborough County, she believes Habitat for Humanity is really making a difference.
“They’re not just putting love … into action, they’re showing humility and compassion to people,” she said.
If the program is not brought back, Forcier said fundraising will be all the more important. Learn more about how to help Habitat Hillsborough at this link.
