'This is our forever home': Pinellas County school bus driver receives keys to new home
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Like many people in Tampa Bay, Tomeka Taylor battled rising rents while searching for affordable housing.
"We were pretty much homeless when we moved," Taylor, who is also a Pinellas County school bus driver, said.
Last year, Taylor and her two boys moved out of a home that they had been renting for over a decade after their landlord decided to sell the property. After their one-month notice passed, Taylor's family bounced around different friends and families' homes.
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That long journey ended with a celebration in St. Petersburg with keys to a new home. Taylor worked with Warrick Dunn Charities "Home for the Holidays" program, which helps single parents purchase their first homes.
"When you pay a mortgage, you're investing in yourself," Warrick Dunn, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers' running back, said.
Through the charity, Dunn has helped 204 families purchase homes, 57 in the Tampa Bay area. His inspiration was his own single mother, who worked to provide him with a stable home environment.
"For me, the reaction, the emotion of family going inside a home, to me that's priceless," Dunn said.
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Habitat for Humanity worked with Taylor to secure the financing, but today's reveal featured some surprises for the Taylor family.
"To walk in and see everything fully furnished, it just melted my heart," Taylor said.
Aaron's provided $10,000 worth of home furnishings, while Warrick Dunn Charities and The Milkey Family Foundation stocked the home with food, cleaning supplies and other essentials. The Taylor's also received a $5,000 check for down-payment assistance.
"This is our forever home. We don't have to worry about being put out anymore, moving," Taylor said. "Even though they're older now, we'll be here for a lifetime, and we're just so grateful."