‘It’s a dream come true.’ Fort Worth family didn’t give up on home ownership
Paul and Shantequa Ingram were still in disbelief Friday morning as they made their way to the site of their new home on Eisenhower Drive in the Historic Rosedale Park neighborhood.
They had stayed with Paul’s mother the last few years, and Paul even slept in his car at times. Eventually, they found an apartment to stay in with their four children.
They wanted to own a home, and Shantequa’s mother and sister were previous Trinity Habitat for Humanity homeowners. The couple applied last year and was approved to be the first recipients of an Opal Lee 100 Legacy Home.
The Ingrams knew what it was like to hit rock bottom, but they knew that with hard work and perseverance their goal could be accomplished.
“I’m the first person in my family to own my home,” Paul Ingram said. “It’s a dream come true.”
Bank of America, which funded the initiative, and Trinity Habitat for Humanity, which will build the home, held a board cutting ceremony for the ground breaking of the Ingrams’ home, with Opal Lee in attendance Friday, April 25.
The Opal Lee 100 Legacy Home is an initiative to build 100 affordable homes to expand home ownership opportunities for families and to strengthen neighborhoods.
The idea was conceived last year when Texas Capital Bank, Trinity Habitat for Humanity and HistoryMaker Homes helped build and furnish a new home for Lee and wanted to honor the woman who is known as the grandmother of Juneteenth.
The Ingrams’ home will take 18 to 20 weeks to complete.
Eligible home buyers have to be below 80% of the area median income. They must also go through a rigorous application process in which applicants must prove steady employment, ability to afford a mortgage, and good credit.
Applicants must complete 200 sweat equity hours, or volunteer work with the Habitat office, and take classes on financial literacy, budgeting, and how to maintain and care for their home.
After the homes are built and families have moved in, Habitat for Humanity stays in contact with the families to provide support.
Christine Panagopoulos, chief operating officer of Trinity Habitat for Humanity, says the organization has built over 1,000 homes in Fort Worth and has only foreclosed on 24 homes since the Fort Worth branch was founded in 1989. This is a testament to their success at helping homeowners learn to save and plan for the future, she says.
Affordable home ownership is becoming more difficult across the city, particularly for working class families. Initiatives like the Opal Lee 100 Legacy Home allow people to purchase a home and build wealth.
“We have to do something because these workers have to live close by,” Panagopoulos said. “They have to live close to the schools that they’re working in or the hospitals that they’re working in, and they just can’t with the cost of homes in our area.”
Trinity Habitat for Humanity plans to build more homes across Fort Worth for the Opal Lee 100 Legacy Home initiative. The goal is to build 91 of the homes in the Garden Springs neighborhood off Risinger Road and Hulen Street in Southwest Fort Worth.
Paul Ingram grew up on the east side of Fort Worth and has seen how the Historic Rosedale Park neighborhood and surrounding areas have improved since he was young. He is glad to be back. He and Shantequa hope to instill into their children the values of hard work and persistence, even when things are difficult.
“I’m not going to say I didn’t believe it, but like my wife said she trusted it so I trust my wife, so I trust the process,” Ingram said.
This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 3:02 PM.
