A group of people in hardhats stand inside the frame of a partially built home. A Wells Fargo and Habitat for Humanity banner is in front of them.

Our Impact

November 26, 2024

4 min read

Wells Fargo, Habitat team up to help a mom build her home

Shaquawanda is one of the many reasons Wells Fargo has collaborated with Habitat for Humanity over the last 20 years.

Jennifer Block Martin,

Staff Writer

Wells Fargo volunteers help Shaquawanda (center) raise the wall on her new Habitat for Humanity home in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Credit: John Huba

The day the side of her house was being raised, homeowner-to-be Shaquawanda was excited and a little anxious. “It’s been a long time coming,” she said. “I’m ready.” Shaquawanda said she had been looking to buy a house for a while, but home prices in Charlotte, North Carolina, have skyrocketed. “I tried to get everything together to go through the process of owning a home,” she said. “And there were just so many roadblocks.” According to the 2021 State of the Nation’s Housing report, nearly 18 million U.S. households spend at least half of their income on housing.

Watch the family's story

[Video overview: Volunteers from Wells Fargo and Habitat for humanity collaborated to build a home for a family in Charlotte, North Carolina. Shaquawanda, the homeowner; Julie Davis, vice president of Corporate and Cause Marketing Partnerships for Habitat for Humanity International; and Mary Mack, CEO of Consumer and Small Business Banking at Wells Fargo talk about Wells Fargo’s work with Habitat and the life-changing impact of becoming a homeowner.]

[Music]

[Shaquawanda, Homeowner]

My name is Shaquawanda. This is the oldest, Ricara. This is Makhia, the next one. This is Malique. This is Makera. And this is Taaliyah. I’ve been looking to own a home maybe five years because I wanted to leave something behind for my kids. And having the income for a down payment, it was ridiculous.

[Taaliyah]

This is my mommy.

[Laughter]

[Shaquawanda]

Having a home will change me and my kids’ lives because we’ll have a backyard to play in, they’ll have their own room finally, and it’s like it’s something that we all have been looking forward to.

[Wanda McPherson, Shaquawanda’s Mother]

So many nights that me her talked about, when she said, ‘Mom, I’ve been looking for a house. Looking for a house. I can’t find a safe place for my kids to lay their head.’ I said, You know what? Let’s try Habitat. I said, Habitat will be the best thing for you.

[Shaquawanda]

And again, I can’t thank Habitat and you guys enough for what you’re doing for me and my family. Thank you guys.

[Julie Davis, vice president of Corporate and Cause Marketing Partnerships, Habitat for Humanity International]

Wells Fargo has donated over $119 million to Habitat for Humanity and our affiliates. Through that money we’ve been able to build new homes, repair homes. And we’re so grateful for those contributions that really help us drive affordable housing across the U.S.

[On-screen text]

$119 million+ donated by Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation to Habitat for Humanity International and local affiliates.

[Mary Mack, CEO of Consumer and Small Business Banking, Wells Fargo]

Also today, announcing the renewal of our commitment to Habitat at $7.75 million across the country.

We know at Wells Fargo that affordable housing, the ability for everybody to have a home, is a real issue across the country. It’s a product of systemic inequities, and we’re committed to be a part of the solution. Habitat and our partnership with Habitat, which goes back 20 years, is an important part of the solution, which allows us to go into over 200 communities and put 350 families in their first home.

[On-screen text]

386 homes — In 2021 we helped families build, rehab, and repair 386 homes across the U.S.

[Shaquawanda]

I grew up in a Habitat home, and I had great memories there, so I felt amazing when I received the news of getting a home, because I know that all my hard work is finally paying off. You have to do 125 hours in the ReStore. The 125 hours goes toward your hours for you to pick your lot.

[Mack]

We have promised Shaquawanda she’ll be in by the holidays, and so we’ve got a lot of work to do.

[Shaquawanda]

I’m overwhelmed today because I see it’s a house now, you know, and not just grass, not just dirt. I rolled by here last week, and none of the walls were put up. Literally, it was just the foundation now. My 17-year-old, she’s tired of sharing a room with her sisters, and she’s older. So, it was like she wants her own space. And I’m excited for her to have that. I’m excited for all my kids to have their own space. And I know our lives, it basically is only up from here. So I feel blessed.

Shaquawanda’s two-year journey toward homeownership has included hundreds of hours of volunteer work at the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, after which she was able to select the location of her future home from Habitat’s available lots. (3:00)

Credit: William Gallego

All I can think about is how much this means to my kids. When I finally got accepted into program, they were like ‘we finally get our own rooms, we finally get a yard.’ That’s big for me, just to know I can accomplish something for them.

Shaquawanda

“We at Wells Fargo know that affordable housing — the ability for everybody to have a home — is a real issue across the country,” said Mary Mack, [retired] CEO of Consumer and Small Business Banking for Wells Fargo and a Habitat for Humanity International board member. “It’s a product of systemic inequities, and we’re committed to being a part of the solution.”

Shaquawanda and her family of five are just one of the many reasons why Wells Fargo has partnered with Habitat for Humanity over the last 20 years. In fact, Shaquawanda grew up in a home built by Habitat, and her sister also owns one.

“When I got accepted in the program, my mom pulled out her scrapbook for us to go through,” Shaquawanda said. “That’s why I’m so happy for my kids — because I remember good memories in the house I grew up in.”

For Shaquawanda, it’s been a two-year process and hundreds of “sweat equity” hours, including volunteer work at the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore which sells discounted building materials and home goods. After logging 125 hours, she earned the opportunity to select the location of her future home from Habitat’s available lots. In addition to making a small down payment and monthly mortgage payments, Habitat homeowners must put in 300 sweat equity hours which may also include volunteering on a build site or taking financial literacy classes.

$119 million+ since 2010

The amount donated by Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation to Habitat for Humanity International and local affiliates to support affordable and sustainable housing.

Having the tools to look ahead

While generational wealth takes years to build, it starts with a vision, an opportunity, and a first step. “A lot of people my age aren’t looking to be homeowners,” 33-year-old Shaquawanda said. “But I see a bigger future for my kids. All I can think about is how much this means to my kids. When I finally got accepted into the program, they were like ‘we finally get our own rooms, we finally get a yard.’ That’s big for me, just to know I can accomplish something for them.”

Habitat works with families to help them repair their credit, attend financial counseling, and pay an affordable mortgage. “We’re committed to successful homeownership,” said Julie Davis, vice president of Corporate and Cause Marketing Partnerships for Habitat for Humanity International. “We have a continued connection with the families.”

What does it take to build a typical Habitat house?

Approximately 6,750 nails = 150 pounds of nails
250 – 500 hours of sweat equity from homebuyers, who help build the home
1,200 square feet
400 two-by-fours
3 bedrooms

“I’ve been in my Habitat home for 22 years,” said Wanda McPherson, Shaquawanda’s mother, and an escalations representative for Wells Fargo. McPherson’s home was built through Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity a few years before she joined Wells Fargo. “When we moved into that house, [my kids and I] were so excited. They had their own backyard to play in. It was just a blessing. I think we screamed and hollered the whole first night.”

“It’s still our family house now. I know I can always go home,” Shaquawanda said. “And now my kids will know that this is the house they can always come back to.”

“Their lives are going to change,” McPherson said. “They won’t have to worry about going from apartment to apartment. They’ll have their own rooms. It’s going to be marvelous. It’s going to be fabulous.”

It will still be a few more months before Shaquawanda can move into her new home. “On that the first night, I’m just going to enjoy it,” she said with a smile. “I’ll probably sit there for hours thanking God that I’m where I am at today.”

Vronn Pride, CSBBO Contact Center customer service manager, hauls plywood at the construction site.

Credit: John Huba
1-2-3 ... lift! Wells Fargo employees raise the walls of Shaquawanda’s home.

Credit: John Huba
Homeownership Lead, Social Impact Wesley Brooks and CX Strategy, Design and Governance Leader Lisa Jennings Ducharme assess one of the walls during the home build.

Credit: John Huba
Curt Radkin, strategy and planning director for the Corporate Properties Group, contributes sweat equity to help build a home in Charlotte.

Credit: John Huba
Shaquawanda is excited to see the result of the hard work she’s put in to provide a home for herself and her family.

Credit: John Huba