Meet Courtney & Aspen

Courtney Rivers is one of those rare individuals who did not let the challenges she faced early in life define her. With confidence she applied three times to the Habitat program because she knew that if she kept trying, she would be able to accomplish what she wanted, a permanent home for her and her daughter Aspen. She is a mother, a student, a young professional, a volunteer, and now she will be a homeowner at only 23! 

Courtney’s journey to homeownership started in Greenville where she grew up with her parents and her two sisters. When Courtney graduated from Mauldin High School and pursued a degree as a Sterile technician at Greenville Technical College, she also had a daughter and left an unhealthy relationship. Determined to make a home for herself and her daughter, she would move from apartment to apartment because of rising rent costs. She now resides in a two bed/one bath, 500 SF apartment with leaking plumbing, and mold that often causes her and her daughter to catch colds.  

When a friend and Habitat employee (who happened to teach her middle school cooking class), recommended applying to the Habitat homeownership program, she was willing to take the step into the unknown at such a young age. The hope of a place to call her own and a home that’s permanent became her goal. This led to Courtney applying not once but three times to the program before she was finally accepted.  

Courtney is proud to have completed financial literacy classes, learning for the

first time about home maintenance and how to increase her credit.

Purposefully, she “tried to do everything” for her sweat equity hours by

volunteering in every area of  Habitat she could, ranging from roofing and landscaping to ReStore fleet dispatcher.  Her pursuit to learn at every opportunity has also empowered her to

continue her education in the medical field. She currently works as an Ophthalmology Tech while studying for her degree to become a certified Ophthalmologist.  

With all she has learned along the road to home, Courtney says what matters most is that it will be permanent. This makes it even more exciting with her daughter currently attending the daycare across the street from Heritage Hills at Nicholtown where her home will be. What she is looking forward to most is Aspen being able to have a safe place to play outside, a place for birthday parties and celebrations, and the security of knowing they will never have to move from apartment to apartment again.