PINELLAS COUNTY — In Dec. 2021, Tangela Butler needed somewhere to go. ABC Action News was with her as she packedher belongings and prepared to move to an apartment she could barely afford. Flash forward to today, and her fortune and future are brighter.
"I remember that day, and I remember feeling defeated; I remember feeling hopeless," Butler said.
If a friend had not told Butler to fill out an application for Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties, she very well could still be bouncing from apartment to apartment.
Words can't express how grateful Butler is for all the help.
"I say that they're all my village. They're all just sent by God. They're what I needed when I was down and out, and God just sent an enormous group of people my way," Butler said.
For 22 years, Butler has worked as a school bus driver for Pinellas County. Despite her work ethic, she has been unable to afford a home of her own.
"I am just riding around and seeing these big, beautiful homes. I've always wondered what it takes to actually own one of these houses. And it wasn't until I got into the Habitat program that I found out exactly what it took," Butler said.
A few months ago, Paluska was with Butler as she put in her final hours of sweat equity. The new home nearly complete.
"You going to sleep here tonight?" Paluska asked.
"Yes. On the floor, and I don't care. Yes. I will sleep in an empty house tonight. My lights are on; my water is on. That's all I need."
Now, when she looks out her bus window, she feels grateful she has a home to rest her head at night. But she knows countless families are still struggling, waiting for their big miracle.
"Never give up. Never, ever give up. If you have a dream of home ownership or just simply finding somewhere affordable for your family, never give up; always leave it in God's hands," Butler said. "And I'm a bus driver. So I pick up at shelters like my stop. I have like three shelter stops. And it breaks my heart when these kids get on the bus. And they come in out of a shelter. You know what I'm saying? It's not fair. It's never been like that. I've never picked up at shelters. I've never picked kids up at motels. And it breaks my heart to see these kids have to live like that because their parents cannot afford to run. It's not fair."
