Shauneka Howard unlocked the front door of her new house for the first time in April, but she’d already spent months within those four walls — constructing them as part of a Habitat for Humanity build.
Howard works full time in childcare development while raising her two kids, Ashton, 9, and Ayva, 8. But week after week, the 35-year-old mom showed up until the walls Ford volunteers first framed a year ago became her family's finished, three-bedroom home in Detroit's Morningside neighborhood, a historic community east of downtown Detroit.
"Her determination was on a level I've never seen before," said Shannon Bonesteel, Senior Manager of the Homeownership Program for Habitat for Humanity Detroit, who has helped about 20 families, including Howard’s, reach homeownership. "She set her mind on taking care of her family the way she saw fit, and she made that happen no matter what she faced."
“She set her mind on taking care of her family the way she saw fit, and she made that happen.”Shannon Bonesteel, Senior Manager of the Homeownership Program for Habitat for Humanity Detroit
Sweat Equity and a Get-It-Done Spirit
Habitat for Humanity homes are built by volunteers, but they're earned, not given. Families are selected based on their ability to make mortgage payments and a willingness to put in "sweat equity" — hours of hands-on work on Habitat projects.
Howard more than met the moment, logging 150 hours of hands-on labor painting, planting flowers, and installing cabinets in other families' homes, all while holding down her job and raising Ashton and Ayva. Her kids even got in on it, drawing pictures to help design their own bedrooms.
"If you're going to go for a Habitat home," she said. "Do not give up."
But the neighborhood’s transformation is as much a part of Howard’s story as the house itself.
Growing up, Howard visited her grandmother in this very neighborhood, but back then, it was so dangerous she wasn't even allowed near the local skating rink. Today, she and her children love living here and watching Morningside transform a little more every day: new houses rising; old brick Tudors restored; and shops, restaurants, and galleries opening their doors.
"It looks so beautiful over here now. I love taking my kids for a drive and showing them things that weren't here before," Howard said. "I love seeing people walking their dogs. There are people riding bikes up and down the road."
A Year in the Making
Howard's home was the first chapter of a year-long story.
In June 2025, hundreds of Ford employees gathered at Michigan Central to launch Ford Building Together — Ford's initiative that mobilizes employees, dealers, vehicles, and philanthropy to help five national nonprofits to strengthen local communities.
Among them was Jay Degenkolb, a product design engineer who has worked at Ford for nearly 30 years and volunteered with Habitat for 18. That day, he and his fellow volunteers framed the very walls that would become Howard's home.
Then they kept going.
Through the cold, rain, and summer heat, Ford Volunteer Corps members returned again and again over the next year — raising those walls, hanging drywall, installing doors, painting rooms, and planting gardens. For Degenkolb, the reasons to keep showing up are simple: learning new skills, team building outside of work, getting outdoors, and getting dirty.
But one reason matters most.
"It's just such a huge feeling of accomplishment because you learn something new and you share your skills in somebody else's home," he said.
A wooden frame slowly became a house. And alongside Howard's hard work, the house became a home.
Coming Full Circle
On June 22, many of the volunteers who had spent the past year building Howard's home came back one more time — this time to celebrate alongside her.
Ford and Habitat for Humanity Detroit held a dedication ceremony to mark the milestone with Howard and her children. The day included a landscaping project, with volunteers planting and putting the finishing outdoor touches on Howard's home and four neighboring Habitat houses on the same block.
A wooden frame had become a home. A block had become a little stronger. And the volunteers who started it all got to see exactly what a year of work — Howard's most of all — added up to.
Holbrook Mohr is a contributing writer from Brandon, Mississippi.
