SoSo knows poverty.

“I know how to stretch a dime like no other,” she says, looking off into the distance. Shoshonna reflects back to the time when she and her 2 sons lived in a homeless shelter in Lexington.

Pregnant with a 3rd son So-So wondered how she wound up in such a difficult state.

Her life wasn’t always like this.

A college graduate, SoSo married a military man stationed in Hawaii where the couple had 2 children, but the marriage didn’t last.

Divorced and on her own with 2 toddlers, SoSo had no family to lean on, no job and no resources.

After giving birth to her 3rd son while living in the shelter, SoSo decided she had to get her family into a stable spot.

She took advantage of any resource she could find.

SoSo took budgeting classes and started to save money.

She enrolled in Bible study, parenting workshops and gained full-time employment.

She moved her family into an apartment outside of Lexington County.

Everything seemed to be going great, until she learned she was earning too much to receive government assistance.

SoSo saw gang activity, and her children were having difficulty in their new school.

“It was affecting every part of them, how they felt about themselves, their grades, their emotional health.” she said.

“I knew I had to move,”

SoSo attended an application meeting for Central SC Habitat for Humanity.

Then she received notice that she was accepted into the program.

“I was screaming, yelling, and running around, ” SoSo said, her eyes beaming.

Soso started the Habitat program in May 2016. She has worked hard and has stayed strong and patient, even though her wait has been longer than most.

In the summer of 2019, Central SC Habitat for

Humanity developed a partnership with Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church in Lexington. The church offers a financial education program, the Circles program.

Habitat candidates who complete the Circles program will have the opportunity to build in Lexington.

Property in Lexington has been out of Habitat’s price range but its partnership with Mt. Horeb will open the door for families in Lexington.

“Our partnership with Mt. Horeb will strengthen their Circles program and our Habitat homeownership program, and will increase our capacity to build affordable housing in Lexington County,” said Roy Kramer, executive director for Central SC Habitat for Humanity.