Meet IHA’s Very Own Superhero!

inte8821 • September 21, 2016

You know that feeling you get deep down inside your soul when you do something very meaningful for someone else? It’s beautiful, right? It’s something that you just want to keep repeating. Working in a nonprofit, this wonderful feeling occurs often. Carol Riggles, IHA’s Homeownership Coordinator, has more experience in this area than most!

Her job at IHA is both rewarding and challenging. As the gatekeeper for participants in our Purchase Repair Homeownership Program and in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, Carol has the responsibility of assisting those who have only dreamed of the possibility of homeownership.

Helping people repair credit by teaching them how to pay off debt, Carol literally walks our participants through this process with a series of classes and assignments. All the while, our participants are responsible for the steps necessary to reach the goal of being approved to shop for their dream home. Often times, this journey involves tough love, lots of sweat, and even a few tears.

Carol handles herself with the utmost respect towards our participants. Because of this very close working relationship that is built, lasting bonds of friendship are formed.

IHA, along with Carol and the USDA-RD, has helped to place over 30 families into the home of their dreams. With our participants paying significantly lower mortgage payments than they were paying in rent, tears that were once stress-filled are turned into tears of joy, happiness, pride and relief!

We are so proud of the work we do at IHA and are especially proud to share the work that Carol does each and every day to make the lives of others better.

For more information about our Purchase Repair Homeownership, please contact Carol at criggles@interfaithhousing.org. Carol will be very excited to help someone else achieve their dream of homeownership!

Voices of Affordable Housing

By Jodie Ostoich • May 25, 2025
Voices of Affordable Housing: Affordable Housing

Gary Free resident at Residences at Railroad Square Apartments

March 3, 2025
Gary Free grew up in Brunswick, MD. The first time he saw the Residences at Railroad Square, he knew he would love to live in the apartments. Now all he can think to himself is, “I am living here!” Gary said the day he signed his lease he was so happy! He has a picture hanging in his apartment that says, “You’re Home.” Gary looks at it often and says to himself, “I am!” He finally feels at peace. Gary feels his home is nice! He also feels one of the ways of living at Residences of Railroad Square is that he now has everything he ever wanted, asked for and needed. The only thing he feels is a concern is that most of the time he gets lonely. His goal is to try to meet people. He says, “I’m a very friendly person.” Gary says his experience living at the Residences at Railroad Square has been rather good. If he has any concerns he can talk to the office staff. He feels it can’t get any better than this!

Lease-up of Residence of Railroad Square

By Crystal Thomas • March 3, 2025
With excitement and anticipation, I watched the groundbreaking on June 29, 2023, with my assistant Vickie and IHA’s Supportive Services coordinator, Sandi. By the middle of September 2023 concrete walls were being set up. We watched as the roof was completed; then the windows and doors were installed. We impatiently waited for the day we received permission to see the inside of the Residences of Railroad Square property. Finally, on September 25, 2024, we had the privilege to tour the inside of this beautiful property. On the weekend of September 27, 2024, the IHA property management team along with the CEO Jodie, held a two-day in-person application event. The owners of First Stop Brunswick generously donated their space at 2. E. Baltimore Street. That lease up kick off generated 56 applications. Over the next three months, ninety more applications were submitted. Each applicant came with their own story which stirred our hearts. No matter how different their stories may have been, they all had the same wish, a place to call home for Christmas! On November 5, 2024, the first resident signed their lease and on December 23, 2024, the last empty unit was filled! Not only were we able to fulfill these residents' Christmas wishes but it also filled our hearts with joy!
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