After the Storm

In 2005, Julius moved to Tulsa with his mother from Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina. Years later, after moving out on his own, stability remained just out of reach.

“It’s just been apartment hopping,” Julius said.

Now a manager at FedEx, Julius built a steady career—but homeownership still felt like the next step. After recalling time spent volunteering with a church to help build Habitat homes, he decided to explore the program with his partner, Candace.

Once they learned they qualified, their competitive side kicked in.

“My experience with the program was that it went really fast,” Julius said. “They told us about the fastest people to do it, and I guess, within us, we tried to beat that.”

Today, they’re settling into a place of their own. Julius is looking forward to making the living room a space to relax and unwind, while Candace is excited about the everyday comforts of home—especially having their own washer and dryer.

For Julius, the advice to others is simple:

“You never know what could happen,” he said. “You could always get something even better than what you thought it was. So just try.”

Congratulations, Julius and Candace on your step into homeownership. Special thanks to MidFirst Bank for providing an affordable mortgage.

Habitat believes that everyone deserves a place to call home. Apply or share our home purchasing opportunity with others: