Susan Canty doesn’t have a lot of worry these days. She sits in her big comfy chair in her comfy living room, knowing she never has to move again. Susan has lived in her Habitat home in St. Petersburg since 1993, when she became the 27th homeowner in this Habitat affiliate’s history.
“At that time I was in a small apartment,” said Susan. “I just thought I was going to keep renting and there was no possibility of buying a home. I remember my cousin mentioned Habitat during a trip to Georgia and when I got home here to Florida I saw a Habitat truck, I wrote down the phone number, and the rest is history.”
Susan had to put in 400 sweat equity hours as part of her partnership with Habitat.
“You learn throughout the whole process. You learn how to build things and how to fix things,” said Susan. “You learn how to be a homeowner.”
Susan recalls when the drywall was put up at her home and how the site supervisor refused to move on until it was perfect. “He said, ‘This is the worst looking drywall, but I promise you we will make it right.’” That type of care gave Susan comfort knowing her home would be built strong.
Family is everything to Susan. She is the proud mom of two children – now adults. Her son and daughter were in elementary school when Susan went through the Habitat program. They also had to share a room in that small apartment prior to earning a Habitat home.
“We always had love,” said Chris Maitland, Susan’s son. “But it was just in a small area. Our mom worked so hard for us and to see someone like her rewarded for her hard work means a lot to us kids.”
“It was a big moment,” said Michele, Susan’s daughter. “When we moved in I was able to have my own space and the ability to decorate it any way I wanted. It was just nice to know I could have the room to grow and allow my creativity to flourish.”
“My kids were always good to each other,” said Susan. “But I have to tell you, I smiled whenever one of them would yell at the other ‘get out of my room!’ I loved it. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed hearing that.”
Chris and Michele are both successful in their lives and their careers. They credit the Habitat house as being the reason why.
Susan let her kids get in on picking out some of the features of their home, including seafoam green cabinets. “Those were gorgeous because they were mine,” said Susan with a smile. “She has since gotten different ones, but those will always be her pride and joy.”
When the journey to homeownership came to an end, Susan was determined to help other families. She would serve on the Habitat Board of Directors and as a homeowners services committee member. Susan has worked to continue spreading the Habitat mission right into its 40th year of existence.
“It’s amazing to see how much Habitat has grown and the number of homes being built,” said Susan. “There are a lot of good people out there – a lot of good parents just working hard for their children.”
“Every American dreams of becoming a homeowner.”
