Amanda Lambert: Another IHA Success Story

IHA’s mission is to strengthen communities and improve the quality of life and economic stability for seniors, working families and individuals through the creation and preservation of affordable housing. For Amanda Lambert, an original tenant at Penn Avenue Townhomes in Cumberland, Maryland, these goals have been achieved through homeownership. This is a FANTASTIC success for Amanda and IHA could not be happier to see her achieve this dream.

Pictured below: Amanda and her fiancé Michael and their new home

Lacy Ames, Special Project Coordinator, had the opportunity to interview Amanda about her experience, her future, and any advice she has for those struggling to obtain affordable housing.

Prior to moving into Penn Avenue Townhomes, Amanda rented a house down the street which was much more expensive and more space than she needed. This left her with virtually no money to cover other routine expenses, let along invest in the future. As a single mother to a little boy named Jameson, Amanda knew she had to find something more affordable.  Penn Avenue Townhomes opened in 2012 and Amanda was one of the first tenants in the community.

During her time at Penn Avenue Townhomes, Amanda was able to begin putting money aside for a home of her own. Amanda stated during our interview that she “didn’t look to stay here forever ”. Amanda came in with the mindset that she wanted to prepare for a future home for her family. Working towards this dream, Amanda took advantage of all the resources available. Her son attended community events and various children’s projects. Additionally, Amanda stated she could always rely on the Property Manager and maintenance staff to keep her townhouse well-maintained and running smoothly. She even learned some basic home maintenance along the way. She also utilized resources provided by the Supportive Services Coordinator to learn the specific steps to homeownership.

A piece of advice she has for others who are utilizing affordable housing but would like to own a house of their own in the future, is to be patient. It takes TIME and PERSISTENCE to save enough money. She said she would take notice of the amount of maintenance that would need to be done, even just the need for new lightbulbs, and understand that she would need to save enough money to be ready for all the unexpected, maintenance costs that go along with owning a home. The Cumberland area can be very pricey and owning a home would have been difficult to do years ago as a single mother. However, after 5 years in an affordable townhome, she was able to reach her dreams.

Amanda recently got engaged to her fiancé Michael, who very creatively proposed via  live dance video. Her life has recently been very busy with the engagement, recent birth of her daughter Lily, and of course purchasing the home of her dreams. She is READY and EXCITED to move into her new space, into a place she can call her own.

IHA is honored to have been part of Amanda and her family’s journey. We hope this success story provides those in similar situations the motivation and confidence that their dream of homeownership could come true as well!