Jackie and her pre-teen godson Travis moved into their new home in August 2018. Jackie is in her late 20s and works in child education for a non-profit in Rocky Mount. Jackie fostered Travis after he was removed from his family by social services and now has full custody of him. They had been living with Jackie’s grandmother prior to moving into their Habitat home and quickly ran out of space.

Travis has intellectual and behavioral disabilities that sometimes result in self-harm and severe meltdowns. It became critical that he have a safe place. In their new home, Jackie has provided Travis stability and established a special “calming” room. She painted the room in spa-like colors and outfitted it with bean bag chairs for a tranquil and safe place for him.