Sadia’s Story: From Townhome to Her Own Home

Sadia is a wife, a mother, an early childhood educator and a doula whose experience with IOCP goes back to when she was just a freshman at Wayzata High School.

“I was a Neighborhood Program kid,” she explains, referring to IOCP’s Neighborhood Program, which supports local multi-family housing communities with on-site access to our services and case management staff. Sadia’s connection to her community and to Interfaith staff and programs grew – and at age 16 she got first job – with Interfaith – as a camp counselor.

“A lot of life happened in the next several years,” she says. “I graduated, I got married and started having children. I began my career in the medical field and moved to the southeast metro for several years.

When she returned to the area, her family was one of the first in a new construction townhome community that was also part of IOCP’s Neighborhood Program.

This time, Sadia’s children were receiving homework help and making connections as part of the Neighborhood Program. She and her husband also used IOCP’s employment services and financial services as we made career changes and needed occasional support with car repairs or other matters.

But Sadia’s ultimate goal was to buy a home. And in spring 2024, she became the proud owner of a brand-new house in the west metro.

“This home purchase was made possible by hard work, and tireless research and budgeting,” Sadia says. “It’s also possible because of the unwavering support we’ve received from IOCP over the years.”

Sadia gives credit to Interfaith’s food shelf, in particular: “It wasn’t just helping me put food on my table – it was allowing me to put some of our hard-earned money into savings for a home.”

Sadia says that her success story isn’t just hers – it’s also a success story for her family, and the for the whole community.

“I assure you that every dollar, every diaper, every can of food, every hour of staff or volunteer time makes a difference in people’s lives. It absolutely made a difference in mine.”