Nashville Area Habitat For Humanity Blog May Dedication Welcomes Six New Families

Michele Battle working on her home before Sunday's dedication. Six smiling families cut the ribbons to their new homes in the Hallmark subdivision on Sunday. WKRN came out for the celebration and posted a fabulous story about Michele and David Battle's celebration here. Here are the six new families and their sponsors:Michele and David Battle, 4524 Springstead Trail, Antioch: David and Michele both grew up in Davidson County and have five children. The family moved into Michele's parents' three-bedrom home in August 2011 so they could help care for Michele's ailing father. Needing more space, they began looking for a home of their own in 2012. They applied for a traditional mortgage, but couldn't get approved and realized they couldn't afford the size home they needed because of the amount of interest on the monthly mortgage payment. "It means a lot that Saint Thomas is our sponsor," said Michele, who has worked for Saint Thomas for 16 years. Sponsor: Saint Thomas HealthHabib Habib and Folla Zaky, 4520 Springstead Trail, Antioch: Habib & Folla are from a small Egyptian village located near the larger town of El Minya. The family of four lives in a two-bedroom apartment with a bug problem. And the apartment lacks handicap accessibility features which Habib needs. One of Habib's co-workers told him about the Habitat homeownership program. "Financially it's the best choice for us with a low income," Habib explains. Sponsors: Caterpillar Financial Services Corp.; Tennessee Housing Development Agency; Aegis Sciences Foundation and Aegis Sciences Corporation; OHL; University School of Nashville; and Thompson Machinery.Wondimu Barata & Aster Ongo, 4301 Pinelake Drive, Antioch: Wondimu & Aster are from a small village in southern Ethiopia. The family arrived in Nashvillle in 2009. Aster drives a taxi and appreciates the flexibility it gives him to spend time with his family. Aster works in the warehouse at CEVA Logistics. They have two children, Rehoboth, 6, and Yohana, 1. Sponsors: Tennessee Housing Development Agency; Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP; c3/consulting, LLC; Bone McAllester Norton PLLC; Renasant Bank; UL, LLC.Koang Chol & Nyabel Bilieu, 1120 Lakewalk Drive, Antioch: Koang and Nyabel are from South Sudan. Koang has worked as an Employment Specialist at the Nashville International Center for Empowerment (NICE) since 2011, but he has been involved with NICE since its founding in 2005 when he sat on the board. Nyabel takes care of the children - Leb, 12, daughter Lidia, 10, and youngest son Mar, 8 - and is working to improve her English. "Living in an apartment is like being schackled," says Koang. Sponsor: Brentwood Hills Church of Christ.WOMEN BUILD: Betty Langoya, 1124 Lakewalk Drive, Antioch: Betty grew up in South Sudan and has five children. Currently, Betty rents a three-bedroom apartment for $1,000 a month compared to her interest-free Habitat mortgage, which will run approximately $600 a month and also includes a fourth bedroom. Betty has worked for Standard Candy Company since 2011. Women Build Sponsors: Tennessee Housing Development Agency; Morgan Stanley Foundation; Couture Construction; Wilson Group Real Estate Services; The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company; Jackson National Life Insurance Company; Bridgestone Americas.WOMEN BUILD: Ja'Nea Lawrence, 1128 Lakewalk Drive, Antioch: Ja'Nea grew up with six siblings in the Preston Taylor community. Ja'Nea didn't qualify for a conventional mortgage and heard about Habitat's homeownership program through friends. "The (homeownership) classes have helped me think about setting aside money for retirement and for Caleb (her son)." Women Build Sponsors: UPS; LetterLogic, Inc.; Skanska; Frost Brown Todd LLC; Valerie Kemp Dreier CPA; Castle Homes; Dickinson Wright; Dillard's.