Single Mom Gets Ultimate Valentine's Day Gift: A New Home

PINELAS PARK, FL — A bouquet of roses, heart-shaped box of chocolates or candlelit dinner couldn't begin to compare to the Valentine's Day gift Tiffany Danh received from her community.

On Friday, Danh, 22, a single mother who works as a medical primary care receptionist, received the keys to a new home, becoming the 661st recipient of Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties' generosity.

“We need somewhere we can feel safe and sound; somewhere we can call home; somewhere the generations to come can also call home.” said Danh, who will live in the new house with her daughter, Christine.

The home is in Tellor Estates in Pinellas Park, a Habitat for Humanity community that broke ground in June 2019.

The Tellor Estates project is the Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties' largest development to date. It is located on 7.3 acres located at the northeast corner of 68th Street and 62nd Avenue North in Pinellas Park. It will eventually provide affordable, energy-efficient homes for 75 families.

To qualify as homeowners, residents must demonstrate the need for adequate shelter, have the ability to pay back a zero-interest loan and be willing to partner with Habitat for Humanity to invest 350 to 450 hours helping to build the home.

“It’s a different feeling when you help build your home," Danh said. "It's something I will cherish forever."

She said she's looking forward to raising her daughter in the home and giving her childhood memories she'll carry into adulthood.

“I want to remember Christmas time, decorating our front yard, which we’ve never had, and more," Danh said. "Growing up I moved around a lot, and it caused a lot of heartaches leaving behind a part of my life. I’ll do anything to avoid doing this to my daughter.”

The new home is a major improvement from their previous cramped third-floor apartment where they shared a bedroom and Danh often struggled to carry her daughter up the stairs while juggling bags of groceries. She worried that the mold in the bathroom would make her daughter sick or she'd be stung by the wasps who had built nests all over the outside of the apartment complex.

She could barely contain her excitement when she heard she'd been accepted into the Habitat for Humanity program.

“I thanked God with all my heart. I remember thinking, 'Wow, my future is starting to look up.’ This is an amazing opportunity, and I’ll forever be grateful," Danh said.

Danh said homeownership is a big responsibility but said Habitat for Humanity thoroughly prepared her for the challenge.

“I am so eager to learn about taking care of a home. I’ve got a lot to learn, and I’m dedicated to it," she said. "Through this program, not only do you become a homeowner, but they teach you how to be successful in maintaining the home and managing your money.”

She's already envisioning the memories they will make in the home.

“I imagine my daughter’s first day of school, and tucking her into bed in her own room," Danh said. "I imagine all of the holidays spent celebrating in our home, and baking cookies for Santa together, being able to decorate how we want. It will be so nice to even start our own garden. My house will be peaceful, beautiful, full of memories and full of prayers."

Christine is looking forward to singing and dancing throughout the house, watching Disney Princess movies, especially "Frozen," and riding the new bicycle through the neighborhood she received Friday during the house-warming ceremony.

In addition to finding the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator fully stocked with food provided by Feeding Tampa Bay, Danh received gifts from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Doug Beavis of the Holiday Sharing Fund and the GFWC North Pinellas Woman's Club.