Impact of a Habitat Calaveras Home
From a cramped rental to a hand-built home: The Impact of a Habitat Calaveras Home
In 1995, a small miracle was taking place on Hope Court in San Andreas. A house was rising from the ground—not just any house, but the very first Habitat for Humanity Calaveras home. For Lindsay Holloway, then a bright-eyed fifth grader, it was the start of a new chapter, one filled with stability, warmth, and possibility.
Before Habitat, life had been a balancing act. Lindsay, her three siblings, and their single mother were squeezed into her grandparents’ home in Jenny Lind. Privacy was a luxury, and space was tight, but love filled the home. Still, her mother, who worked at Calaveras Lumber in Angels Camp, dreamed of a place of their own.
That dream became reality when she learned about Habitat’s homeownership program—a program that would change the course of their lives.
The house on Hope Court wasn’t just given to them. It was built with their hands, their sweat, and their hearts. Lindsay’s grandfather, a general contractor, carefully drew the blueprints, designing a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home with soaring vaulted ceilings and an extra-large bathroom. He wanted it to be perfect for his daughter and grandchildren.
The entire family—her mom, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins—worked tirelessly alongside Habitat volunteers, hammering nails, painting walls, and laying down the foundation for a better future.
For months, Lindsay watched in awe as the walls of their home took shape. She remembers standing in the middle of the unfinished house, imagining where her bed would go, what color she might paint the walls. It was a far cry from the cramped quarters she had known before. “Building that Habitat house is one of my core memories,” she says. “We didn’t have a lot of money to spend, but we had time together, building something that was ours. That stuck with me.”
And then, finally, move-in day arrived. The moment she stepped through the front door, Lindsay felt something new: security. This house wasn’t temporary. It was theirs.
It didn’t take long for their home to become the heart of the neighborhood. “Our house was the one on the block where all the kids hung out,” Lindsay recalls. “We all felt safe and comfortable. It made life easier—especially being in town where we could walk everywhere.”
But it was more than just a safe haven—it was a place where she could dream. One day, inspired by the freedom of homeownership, she took a paintbrush and covered the bathroom door in a whimsical scene of a bathtub filled with bubbles. When her mother came home, Lindsay braced for the reaction. Would she be upset? After all, in a rental, this might have meant losing a deposit or getting in trouble with the landlord. But instead, her mother smiled. “Cute,” she said. And just like that, Lindsay’s artistic spirit was nurtured. “If it had been a rental house, her reaction might have been different,” Lindsay reflects. “That home gave me the freedom to be creative.”
She went on to paint a family tree on the living room wall, placing family photos within its branches. That house gave her a space to express herself, and today, she is a professional artist, a passion that began on Hope Court.
One of her most treasured memories is from when she was 17 and dating her now-husband, Chad. She was determined to have the biggest Christmas tree possible, one that reached the tallest point of their vaulted ceiling. “The tree had to be ten and a half feet tall,” she laughs. She and Chad drove up to a Christmas tree farm in West Point, found the perfect one, cut it and hauled it home. Only silver and blue ornaments were allowed—a tradition she still follows today in her own home. “I think that experience in our Habitat home started my love of Christmas,” she says. Now, each holiday season, tinsel lines the hallways, wrapping around doorframes, a reminder of the magic she felt as a teenager in that home.
Lindsay and Chad have now owned their own home for 10 years, raising their children with the same sense of stability she once found on Hope Court. “Making forts with the kids in our house will be remembered way more than the stuff we buy them,” she says, understanding that home is about the moments created within its walls, not just the structure itself.
Her story is one of many that showcase the transformative power of Habitat for Humanity Calaveras. But today, more families than ever are struggling. “Rental prices are out of control,” Lindsay says. “I can’t imagine paying rent right now. Habitat homes are more affordable than renting, and you put in your sweat equity, making you feel like a real part of the community.”
She urges families to consider applying for homeownership opportunities—especially for the upcoming Eureka Oaks development in Angels Camp, the largest Habitat project in California.
“These homes aren’t handouts,” she emphasizes. “People still have to put in the work, make mortgage payments. But they’re affordable. When your mortgage is a reasonable price, you can spend more time with your family instead of worrying about working all the time just to pay rent.”
And beyond individual families, Habitat homes strengthen the entire community. “More housing in our county isn’t a bad thing—it helps grow our economy. And it’s not like the Eureka Oaks development is a tiny home community. These are beautiful homes.”
Lindsay’s journey from a child in a Habitat home to a homeowner herself is proof of what stable housing can do. It’s about more than bricks and mortar—it’s about safety, belonging, and the chance to dream.
There are many ways to be part of this life-changing work. You can volunteer, helping build the very homes that will change families’ futures. You can donate, ensuring that more children have a safe place to grow up. Or, if you or someone you know needs a home, you can apply to become a Habitat homeowner.
Hope Court changed Lindsay’s life. With your help, Eureka Oaks will do the same for many more families. Join us in building homes, hope, and a stronger community for generations to come.
Story written by Kathy Campbell, Board Director at Habitat for Humanity Calaveras.
Are you or someone you know interested in partnering with Habitat for Humanity Calaveras? Click here to submit a request to be on the Interest List.
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Impact of a Habitat Calaveras Home
From a cramped rental to a hand-built home: The Impact of a Habitat Calaveras Home
In 1995, a small miracle was taking place on Hope Court in San Andreas. A house was rising from the ground—not just any house, but the very first Habitat for Humanity Calaveras home. For Lindsay Holloway, then a bright-eyed fifth grader, it was the start of a new chapter, one filled with stability, warmth, and possibility.
Before Habitat, life had been a balancing act. Lindsay, her three siblings, and their single mother were squeezed into her grandparents’ home in Jenny Lind. Privacy was a luxury, and space was tight, but love filled the home. Still, her mother, who worked at Calaveras Lumber in Angels Camp, dreamed of a place of their own.
That dream became reality when she learned about Habitat’s homeownership program—a program that would change the course of their lives.
The house on Hope Court wasn’t just given to them. It was built with their hands, their sweat, and their hearts. Lindsay’s grandfather, a general contractor, carefully drew the blueprints, designing a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home with soaring vaulted ceilings and an extra-large bathroom. He wanted it to be perfect for his daughter and grandchildren.
The entire family—her mom, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins—worked tirelessly alongside Habitat volunteers, hammering nails, painting walls, and laying down the foundation for a better future.
For months, Lindsay watched in awe as the walls of their home took shape. She remembers standing in the middle of the unfinished house, imagining where her bed would go, what color she might paint the walls. It was a far cry from the cramped quarters she had known before. “Building that Habitat house is one of my core memories,” she says. “We didn’t have a lot of money to spend, but we had time together, building something that was ours. That stuck with me.”
And then, finally, move-in day arrived. The moment she stepped through the front door, Lindsay felt something new: security. This house wasn’t temporary. It was theirs.
It didn’t take long for their home to become the heart of the neighborhood. “Our house was the one on the block where all the kids hung out,” Lindsay recalls. “We all felt safe and comfortable. It made life easier—especially being in town where we could walk everywhere.”
But it was more than just a safe haven—it was a place where she could dream. One day, inspired by the freedom of homeownership, she took a paintbrush and covered the bathroom door in a whimsical scene of a bathtub filled with bubbles. When her mother came home, Lindsay braced for the reaction. Would she be upset? After all, in a rental, this might have meant losing a deposit or getting in trouble with the landlord. But instead, her mother smiled. “Cute,” she said. And just like that, Lindsay’s artistic spirit was nurtured. “If it had been a rental house, her reaction might have been different,” Lindsay reflects. “That home gave me the freedom to be creative.”
She went on to paint a family tree on the living room wall, placing family photos within its branches. That house gave her a space to express herself, and today, she is a professional artist, a passion that began on Hope Court.
One of her most treasured memories is from when she was 17 and dating her now-husband, Chad. She was determined to have the biggest Christmas tree possible, one that reached the tallest point of their vaulted ceiling. “The tree had to be ten and a half feet tall,” she laughs. She and Chad drove up to a Christmas tree farm in West Point, found the perfect one, cut it and hauled it home. Only silver and blue ornaments were allowed—a tradition she still follows today in her own home. “I think that experience in our Habitat home started my love of Christmas,” she says. Now, each holiday season, tinsel lines the hallways, wrapping around doorframes, a reminder of the magic she felt as a teenager in that home.
Lindsay and Chad have now owned their own home for 10 years, raising their children with the same sense of stability she once found on Hope Court. “Making forts with the kids in our house will be remembered way more than the stuff we buy them,” she says, understanding that home is about the moments created within its walls, not just the structure itself.
Her story is one of many that showcase the transformative power of Habitat for Humanity Calaveras. But today, more families than ever are struggling. “Rental prices are out of control,” Lindsay says. “I can’t imagine paying rent right now. Habitat homes are more affordable than renting, and you put in your sweat equity, making you feel like a real part of the community.”
She urges families to consider applying for homeownership opportunities—especially for the upcoming Eureka Oaks development in Angels Camp, the largest Habitat project in California.
“These homes aren’t handouts,” she emphasizes. “People still have to put in the work, make mortgage payments. But they’re affordable. When your mortgage is a reasonable price, you can spend more time with your family instead of worrying about working all the time just to pay rent.”
And beyond individual families, Habitat homes strengthen the entire community. “More housing in our county isn’t a bad thing—it helps grow our economy. And it’s not like the Eureka Oaks development is a tiny home community. These are beautiful homes.”
Lindsay’s journey from a child in a Habitat home to a homeowner herself is proof of what stable housing can do. It’s about more than bricks and mortar—it’s about safety, belonging, and the chance to dream.
There are many ways to be part of this life-changing work. You can volunteer, helping build the very homes that will change families’ futures. You can donate, ensuring that more children have a safe place to grow up. Or, if you or someone you know needs a home, you can apply to become a Habitat homeowner.
Hope Court changed Lindsay’s life. With your help, Eureka Oaks will do the same for many more families. Join us in building homes, hope, and a stronger community for generations to come.
Story written by Kathy Campbell, Board Director at Habitat for Humanity Calaveras.
Are you or someone you know interested in partnering with Habitat for Humanity Calaveras? Click here to submit a request to be on the Interest List.
CONTACT INFORMATION
ADMINISTRATION
SUBSCRIBE
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE UPCOMING EVENT NOTIFICATIONS.
By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.
