we are all connected
Destiny Jones-Willis knows exactly how much dreaming, striving, saving–how much hard work!–it takes to become a homeowner for the first time. She also knows that, for people like her, it’s not a solo effort: It takes the support of a community.
A New Narrative
“I’m what most would call ‘a product of the 80’s,’” she said. Jones-Willis was the oldest daughter in her family, and her mother struggled with addiction throughout her childhood. “I decided to change my narrative as soon as I was in control of my own life.”
A caseworker at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and an able mother, Jones-Willis seemed well on her way to crafting that new narrative. Then in 2015, just five weeks after delivering twins, her department downsized and she lost her job.
“I recall answering postpartum questions during checkups thinking, ‘Would it matter if I answered yes to everything on this sheet? Would that somehow change my employment or childcare situation?’” she said.
Step by Step
What came next, however, was an experience of being embraced by local nonprofit agencies, including several Heart of West Michigan United Way partner agencies. Together they helped her overcome her challenges step by step.
“Would it matter if I answered yes to everything on this sheet? Would that somehow change my employment or childcare situation?”
First, she was connected with the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative. Then came support from United Way partners The Other Way Ministries and Steepletown Ministry Center, whose Little Lights and Steepletown Preschool provided safe and supportive childcare that made it possible for her to work.
Jones-Willis found new employment and worked hard for two years, gaining several promotions. But she still felt there was a next step she needed to take for her family.
“I can recall the day I arrived home to a townhouse I was renting at the time in August of 2017,” she said. “I made a decision: This would be my last summer renting. I would become a homeowner.”
Along with her own grit and dedication, Jones-Willis says the first-time homeownership programs offered by Inner City Christian Federation (ICCF), a United Way partner agency that provides an array of services including down payment assistance, made it possible for her to take that next step. She closed on her home in
early 2018.
‘The Best Hug You’ve Ever Received’
Jones-Willis describes the experience of those years as being embraced. Because it wasn’t only her own story that was progressing with the help of United Way-funded partner agencies. It was her mother’s too.
“Close your eyes and envision the best hug you’ve ever received,” Jones-Willis said. “Think about how safe and connected you felt. How stress and anxiety seemed to retreat. That’s exactly what the Heart of West Michigan United Way has been to me.”
Jones-Willis’ mother has been sober now for going on five years, and Sacred Beginnings, led by Leslie King, has walked alongside and supporter her mother through that journey.
‘Tears of Joy’
Today, as executive director of Rent 2 Homeownership Secure Living Community Development Corporation (R2H for short), one of our newest partner agencies, Jones-Willis is able to give others that same sense of being held and supported.
Providing education, support, mentoring, and help navigating the myriad resources available in Kent County, R2H empowers individuals to rebuild their credit, gain vital financial literacy skills, and ultimately move from renting to owning.
‘We Are the Change’
From her personal experience receiving support from United Way-funded agencies to her current role as executive director of R2H Secure Living where she provides those services, Destiny Jones-Willis has a deep appreciation for the value of collaboration. No one person, no one agency can transform Kent County into a thriving place for all. It takes a community.
“To anyone reading this, please understand we are all connected,” Jones-Willis says.
“We are the change we wish
to see.”
Full circle
R2H meets families where they are, and sometimes that support is very tangible. That was the case for Amber Bhagwatsingh.
In 2020, pregnant with her fifth child, Bhagwatsingh broke free of an abusive relationship and moved into a domestic violence shelter. After nearly five months sharing a single room with her four children, she found a three-bedroom apartment.
One of the realities of leaving an abusive relationship is that you’re not just leaving a person. You’re upending everything in your life. For Amber, it meant leaving a home, a vehicle, financial stability, and most of her belongings.
“R2H not only fulfilled every item I listed but the unspoken needs as well. ”
“I was ecstatic about having our own space, especially before the arrival of my fifth child,” Bhagwatsingh told us. The problem was she had nothing to furnish the new space with.That’s when she got the referral to R2H. Destiny Jones-Willis contacted her asking how the agency could help.
“To be honest, I was a bit embarrassed to write such a lengthy response because I just knew they wouldn’t be able to meet our vast needs,” Bhagwatsingh said. But before a week went by, the boxes started arriving. “R2H not only fulfilled every item I listed but the unspoken needs as well. They completely outfitted our home including new bedding, cleaning supplies, and beds for all of my children!
“Even after three years, I still get overwhelmed with tears of joy, because they will never know the indelible impression they made on my family. I was earnestly trying to rebuild our lives and provide a safe space for my children to be able to thrive in and R2H played a significant role in that being our reality today.”