Tay Owsley wants to teach her children never to quit when going through something rough. Sometimes, that looks like finishing a challenging puzzle. This time, it was finding a new home for them with the help of the Alma Randolph Charitable Foundation.
Owsley and her three children spent the last 5 months switching from family homes, searching for somewhere to stay. She was nearly ready to “throw in the towel” but knew it wasn’t an option.
“Then I said if I give up, that’s what I’m showing them,” she said when thinking about her kids. “I don’t want to show them it’s okay to give up on the show. I want them to keep on fighting.”
Owsley recalled the stress of sacrificing her children not having their own space and having to look consistently. Eventually, she was reminded to stop looking as hard for things and allow them to come to her.
Once that happened, she said they became eligible for the housing.
Alma Randolph Crump said they received the voucher to move Owsley in on January 30. By the time Owsley had moved in, Crump said they had just spent 2 days working on the home.
When the call came that the house was prepared, she turned to her children and reinforced the importance of “never giving up.”
So now, with a three-bedroom home, she’s thankful her two sons have their own rooms, and her 3-month-old daughter has a room.
She said the last week was overwhelming as she waited for someone from the foundation to pinch her awake from the dream. When that never came, she realized her dream was reality, especially when her son pulled her aside and said, ‘Mommy, we’re home.’
“Before this, he said, ‘I’m ready to go home. I don’t want to stay here, Mommy. I want my own bed.’ I just told him that I was trying my hardest. Now, being here and seeing everything makes me overwhelmed with joy,” she said.
The home is the 73rd home furnished through the Alma Randolph Charitable Fund’s HUTS program.
