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Phyllis
in front of her new home with
children and Mary
Ann Robinson (HONK’s housing Counselor)
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Phyllis
Phyllis is
one of two new homeowners in Covington’s
Mainstrasse Village Neighborhood. Housing
Opportunities of Northern Kentucky
constructed two single family houses on
existing vacant lots in the neighborhood,
completing construction and arranging for
the respective sales in November 2007.
Phyllis is a single mother with two
daughters and one son. “I moved around a lot
before I moved in here,” Phyllis said. “I
lived in City Heights for a while too,” she
continued. She found about HONK from her
step-mother, who is a HONK homeowner.
Phyllis runs an in-home day care, so she was
eager to get into her new home and place of
business. She is excited and grateful for
the opportunity to own her home. She is
especially grateful to all the HONK
volunteers that made affordable
homeownership possible.
Phyllis is HONK’s first participant in
Section 8 Home Ownership Program. Working
closely with the Brighton Center’s
Self-Sufficiency Program and HONK’s Housing
Counselor, she was able to utilize a
supportive housing voucher as a means to
ownership rather than long term rental. With
down payment assistance from the City of
Covington’s housing Development Department,
her dream of homeownership has become a
reality. “Jeremy (Wallace, Covington) and
Mary Ann (HONK) were great. They kept me
focused on my goal and helped me understand
that I could achieve it.” Phyllis said.
When asked how it feels to own her own home,
she responded, “I don’t know if words can
say how I feel. I am so grateful to HONK.
I could have never fulfilled this dream
without them. I am so blessed. I pray that
my own children will one day grow up and own
their own home, like me. God has so blessed
me!”
Marlene &
Peter
 Marlene
Butler and her son live in their beautifully
renovated
Covington
home. She calls it her “la rosa casa because
HONK has transformed this house into a rose
from a thorn.”
For Marlene, the house is special because it
has the character that you don’t find in
some of the new houses today.
Becoming a homeowner was very important to
Marlene. Here is what she has to say:
“It was just a joyous experience signing my
name on the papers and them saying this is
your home. It’s a wonderful feeling and
achievement to own your home despite the
fear you may have of the responsibilities of
it. You can take pride in the fact that it
is yours.”
“It’s a realization of a dream, a legacy to
be passed along to your children that they
too can be homeowners with hard work and
determination. From homeownership comes
pride in your surroundings and in your
community, which for some continues into
business ownership in the community. This
helps the community to thrive and grow.”
Marlene was eager to do her fair share in
making homeownership possible. “I remember
that first day she did her some of her sweat
equity,” says Jack Goeke, HONK’s founding
Director. “She jumped right in with the crew
that was cleaning out a burned out house
that had become a neighborhood dump and drug
house. When I saw how hard she worked, I
knew we had a real go-getter, someone who
would succeed because she wanted it.”
CARMEN
HINKSTON
 Carmen
Hinkston’s experience with HONK Homes may have just
moved her into a home across the street from the
apartment she was staying at in Covington, but the
help she received from HONK has enabled her to make
an even larger improvement in her life.
“The first thing I had to do was get out of some
trouble I was in with credit cards,” said Hinkston,
a 43-year-old single mother of one.
She started with HONK Homes by entering the ‘Yes You
Can’ program, where she learned about budgeting and
tracking her finances.
Within three years her credit had improved enough
that she was able rent a home on a trial basis to
ensure she was ready for a home of her own.
“They let me rent it first before I could buy it,”
she said. “Once I did that everything started
rolling.”
Soon she was able to buy the house, but that did not
end her involvement with the program.
“They don’t sell you a house and forget about you,”
she said. “They stay with you. They give you a
mentor.”
Hinkston said through her mentor she not only
learned some basic home maintenance, but HONK has
also been there for the repairs she and her mentor
can’t handle on their own.
“When I had a problem I didn’t call a plumber, I
called HONK,” she said.
Now Hinkston is always willing to tell anyone of her
good experiences with HONK Homes.
“Other people have asked me and I tell them HONK is
a good program,” she said. “It is a wonderful
program to be a first-time homebuyer in.”
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