The windows of Emily and Scott’s home are covered with blankets. They leak when it rains, are drafty when it's cold, rattle when it's windy, and the view is of other aging mobile homes, in similar condition to theirs.
Scott has owned the trailer for years. When he met Emily he found a reason to want to fix it up. But the 45 year old mobile home is hard to keep in good repair. They’ve replaced flooring, patched holes, replaced kitchen cabinets, evicted rodents and insects large and small. Scott and Emily do their best to keep up, but the work is overwhelming, and some of it, like the windows, are just beyond repair.
The windows aren’t the only thing in the home that leaks, so does the roof. Even the outlets drip on rainy days. They shut the power off when that happens, afraid of an electrical fire. They are constantly trying to keep mold from taking over.

Emily and Scott’s family includes three children. Before they met, when Emily was a teenager she had a daughter. Together, Emily and Scott have two boys, a kindergartener and a preschooler. Their daughter has autism and sensory issues. The boys share the trailer’s second bedroom. Emily’s daughter currently lives with her grandparents, spending weekends and school breaks with the rest of her family. The grandparents are supportive, proud of how far their daughter has come, and how hard she works. They love their granddaughter the way grandparents do, but are ready for Emily and her daughter to live under the same roof. With her sensory issues, this is just not possible until the family can afford a home where she can have a room to herself. This was one of the big reasons Emily decided to apply for the Habitat for Humanity Home Owner Program.

Emily and Scott know their home is inadequate and it causes them enormous stress. Despite their struggles, they do what they can to make a loving home for the kids. When you visit, the first thing you notice is the floor to ceiling blankets covering the windows. The blankets are printed with tranquil forest scenes as if to remind them that the world out their windows could be big and beautiful. To the children, it must look like they live in a special place. There are special things like this throughout the home, like the boys' bunk beds, made to look like a castle with cardboard walls painted like stones. They do what they can with what they have. The children are bright and kind, and clearly love their mom and dad. Still, Emily and Scott dream of giving them something more and were overcome with emotion when they were selected as one of Habitat’s 2024 Partner Families.

In the fall of 2024, Emily and Scott won't need to cover their windows with blankets to keep out the elements anymore. Instead they’ll enjoy the sunsets and the hawks soaring overhead looking out the new windows of the home they helped build alongside volunteers. Like the big blue Wyoming skies they’ll see from those windows, the possibilities for this family's future will be endless.