It’s important to us that we get this right.
If we’re going to make a tangible, long-term difference for survivors of domestic abuse, we have to think through the feasible business angles, capitalize on every opportunity to give and grow, and pull out all the stops.
That, in large part, is why our very first grant recipient was our own Janna Leadbetter, survivor, founding board member, and advocate/educator to many.
Not only was Janna’s season of life at a prime place for our involvement (more on that in a bit), our operations team determined the best way to understand what we’re capable of as a new nonprofit, especially during the build-out of our grant model, was for our first funding project to originate from the inside.
Here’s how it went down.
You might remember hearing about Janna’s story on our Facebook page. A single mom of two for twelve years, she built a new life after divorce as best she could within the constraints of shared custody. Unfortunately those constraints, enabled by the family courts system, meant isolation in a small town that wasn’t home, and the continued post-separation and financial abuse by her ex-husband (the kids’ dad).
This meant more than a decade of sacrifice and struggle, all the while living in public housing, but as her youngest’s 18th birthday came into focus this past summer — bringing expiration of the traumatic shared custody plan with it — Janna finally had long-awaited options and a future of freedom to plan for.
Her dream for years had been to move back home, to her native Kansas City proper from the rural stretches of Northwest Missouri.
That’s where we came in.
Having done a lot of personal work already — for professional growth and a slow, steady build toward financial stability — Janna determined she wanted to buy a house. What better way to signify the fresh start she’d waited so long for, and to manifest the next phase of her journey in healing and empowerment? It made perfect sense, especially now that both kids were of age and her priorities were shifting.
But even with an outstanding job and a solid support system, there were monetary challenges for Janna to consider.
How would she pay for things like a homeowner’s inspection? An appraisal? Those out of pocket expenses can quickly ding a person’s wallet, even when they qualify for a first-time homebuyer loan (with related perks) and various assistance through traditional means.
If those fees, after working incredibly hard and sacrificing so much for twelve years, were her only hurdles to homeownership — the only hurdles to her ability to move home — could we help?
The answer was a resounding YES.
Janna qualified for our Thriver Grant, so with our Flight to Light operations team waiting in the wings she secured a mortgage lender then — Lisa multitasking as real estate agent — started shopping for a house.
From beginning to end, from March to August, Janna’s experience involved things we’ll be writing about (with other topics) here on our blog:
- weighing the choice between continuing to rent vs. purchasing a house
- obtaining a qualifying credit score (not exactly easy after years of financial abuse)
- finding the right lender – How do you choose?
- finding the right loan officer – Janna had a total of three, each of which presented their own challenges
- finding the right home
- understanding and managing all the associated fees
- getting homeowner’s insurance
- planning a move and managing a house
- shucking the last vestiges of self-doubt and anxiety that every survivor internalizes long-term
- and more
But Janna lacked no determination and we were with her the whole way, providing our Gentle Coaching at the same time that we formally granted the funds needed, once she targeted a house, for both an inspection and an appraisal.
It’s exactly the kind of help we’ve envisioned for Flight to Light from the very first brainstorm, and it’s exactly the kind of help Janna needed. That said, we are thankful the opportunity for our first grantee presented so clearly, and we sure learned a lot — all of which informs our ability to move forward as we create business partnerships and accept new opportunities to help survivors of domestic abuse establish housing security.
Ways to Get Involved
Join our network of partners. We’re working on a media kit that details partner and sponsor options.
Make a charitable donation to Flight to Light. Choose your amount and help someone home.
Contact us to find out if you qualify for assistance. We’re ready and waiting for our next grantee. Be sure to check out our different levels of support, as your need may not run parallel to Janna’s.
Janna’s been in her home for three months now. She is grateful every day for the role Flight to Light played in her path forward and, as part of our operations team, is ready to help the next survivor.
Could you or someone you know be them?