By Eliot Duke, Staff Writer, State Port Pilot
Kaylee Herring had a reason to question to her faith.
She lost her grandparents when she was a teenager, during a time when life already was hard enough – even with a solid support group.
“I was mad at God for a while,” Herring said. “My grandmother ended up getting cancer and she never smoked or drank. She died just a few weeks apart from my grandfather, and I was really depressed. I was made at Him.”
Herring, 25, wandered in the dark through the wilderness of life for a few years before experiencing a long-awaited epiphany.
“I just started feeling empty and I was trying to find something,” said the Leland native. “I went back to church and started realizing that I needed to change.”
One day at a time, Herring slowly started to rebuild her life, but one thing kept standing in the way of making real progress: affordable housing.
She lived in her car, in hotels, in a horse trailer, anywhere that would make do for the time being. Herring’s perseverance eventually paid off and when things started looking up for her, she made the most of it.
‘The right time’
On Feb. 27, Brunswick County Habitat for Humanity held a home dedication ceremony for Herring at her house in Boiling Spring Lakes, culminating a journey that started at just the right time after several stars aligned to make it all possible.
“It’s exciting,” Herring said. “I definitely didn’t expect this at all. All of this happened and I got all of this support. It’s a little overwhelming. I’m definitely not used to this.”
Herring’s ceremony was as a result of two community partners coming together to fill a need. Her home was intended for another Habitat for Humanity partner family, but when the relationship ended the nonprofit found itself in need of a new candidate.
Brunswick Partnership for Housing (BPH), which works closely with Habitat for Humanity, knew of Herring’s plight and recommended her as a possible substitute partner family. The two organizations got on the same page and Herring found herself cutting the ribbon to her new home less than two years later.
“It was a unique situation because this really was a community venture,” said BPH Executive Director Sally Learned. “A lot of people were in the picture making this housing option possible. You don’t take somebody who is bouncing between her car and a hotel and put them into a home without community support. I think this is a perfect example of everybody doing the right thing at the right time.”
Jason Gaver, executive director for Brunswick County Habitat for Humanity, credited Herring for helping to turn a situation of uncertainty into a “win-win,” for both organizations.
“Not only did she help us achieve our goal of building more houses for families who need it,” Gaver said. “But there was a family who was in need …in the community and we were able to house them. That’s what this is all about.”
‘It’s a lot, but worth it’
Successfully navigating the Habitat for Humanity requirements for home ownership is difficult by itself, but Herring had to tackle most of it while pregnant and also working two jobs. Her four-month-old son, Malachi, was on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“Sticking to it was the hardest part,” said Herring. “There were times when I would be so tired from working and taking care of (Malachi). It’s a lot, but worth it.”
Robbie Hales, who mentored Herring during the process, credited her with making the most of the once-in-a-lifetime chance.
“She’s been a dream,” Hales said. “She always did what she was supposed to when she was supposed to do it. If there was a problem, we’d fix it. God is good and He has given her this opportunity, and she understands.”
Judy Slater with the Oak Island Quilters Guild presented Herring with a custom handmade quilt, and Mary Sands with the Brunswick Town Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution donated an American Flag. Peggy Lacey from the Creation Team at Trinity United Methodist Church in Southport gifted Herring a box of LED lightbulbs and Cathy White, a Habitat for Humanity faith relations committee member from Camp United Methodist Church in Shallotte, presented Herring and her son new Holy Bibles.
