PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — As we head into Mother's Day weekend, we're celebrating some beautiful moments that unfolded Friday afternoon in Pontiac.
The city's housing commission stepped up for a single mother and her two young children by gifting them a house.
It's a Mother's Day present Jamillyah Palmer was never expecting.
Thanks to the Pontiac Housing Commission, that present has arrived.
“A new beginning. This is so life changing for me and my boys,” Palmer said. “It’s amazing. I’m just so overflowed with joy.”
Palmers boys are 3 and 8 years old.
“They have a yard, which they will truly enjoy just being outside,” Palmer said.
The home was on the demolition list and became an eyesore in the community.
“So that’s where the excitement came when started gutting it out and started doing the rehab,” said Ahmad Taylor, the executive director of the Pontiac Housing Commision. “We wanted to plant a seed in the neighborhood where it can kind of resonate.”
Palmer was on a list for the home but wasn’t expecting to get it.
“It was a lottery,” she said. “I’m just like, I hope I get an interview. So, they finally called (saying), ‘We would like for you to come in.’”
The city has been impacted by the housing crisis and is behind 2,100 units, Taylor said.
“It’s our job to try to take on that task. So, we’re doing one home at a time, one neighborhood at a time and try to reach that mark,” he said.
Taylor said Palmer met the background and payment criteria needed to receive the home.
“I’m just so still — it’s a dream,” Palmer said. “It’s so unbelievable. It’s so beautiful in here.”
“This is the best Mother’s Day gift ever — ever. I don’t think anything can top you moving into a new home and getting the keys right before Mother’s Day.”
