Embracing the Unexpected

A Massachusetts woman steps up to the challenge of finding a home for a growing family

When June Culross was a single woman living and working in Worcester, Mass., her apartment, while not perfect, was good enough. But when a family crisis in 1998 prompted her to take in her three nieces, then ages four, three and two, the situation worsened.

The four shared a small, two-bedroom apartment with inadequate plumbing and heating and no window screens, making summers even hotter and winters colder than most others experience. The neighborhood was unsafe for the girls to play in. They all had dreams of owning their own home. But with the high cost of housing in Worcester, there was no way June could afford even the smallest house; and a larger apartment was too expensive, leaving them with no options.

Then in December 2003, June read a newspaper article about MetroWest/Greater Worcester HFH’s call for homeowner partners. She completed the forms, knowing that many others would be applying as well. June and the girls talked about owning a home, but tried not to get their hopes too high. Several months later, while waiting for two Family Selection Committee members to make a second home visit, June made a small pot of coffee, expecting to serve two visitors. When the entire 10-member committee showed up with flowers and balloons and announced that June and her girls had been selected, the four of them danced with joy.

June says she still cannot adequately describe her feelings that day. Her nieces, Mackenzie, Kylee, and Breanne, worked hard to get good grades in school to help June earn sweat-equity hours for the safe home they would grow up in. In June 2005, the family moved into a new life in half a duplex, where even the “little things” are appreciated.

“Having plenty of heat and enough hot water for daily living makes such a difference,” June says.