Habitat for Humanity homeowner, mother rebuilds a safe place for her family

CEDAR RAPIDS — Rachel Cooper always has felt like an underdog.

The 34-year-old Vinton-native grew up with four sisters and one brother, her father worked construction and her mother stayed at home, leaving little room for luxuries.

'I never had a silver spoon handed to me,' she said.

After graduating from high school, Cooper got on what she called the 'wrong path' and made some bad decisions that led to outstanding debt, legal problems and a criminal record.

It wasn't until the birth of her first daughter, Genesis Jenae — now 9 — that something clicked. Her 'whole purpose in life changed,' she recalled.

'I realized I was responsible for another person that meant more to me than myself,' she said. 'I couldn't be selfish anymore.'

Cooper decided she needed to get out of her living situation, working in fast-food restaurants and living in a 'rough neighborhood,' a place where she could afford rent but couldn't trust her children to play outside due to gang activity and drunk neighbors getting into fights.

A single mother, Cooper was trying to raise not only her daughter, but also her niece, alone. She wanted to set a better example, give them a better life and a safe place to play, but the apartment on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids was the only place she could find that would rent to someone with a criminal record, she said.

She felt stuck.

In 2007, Cooper started cosmetology school at Capri College in Cedar Rapids, and things started to look up. Her sister encouraged her to apply for a Habitat for Humanity home, which required her to prove a need for improved housing, a stable income, willingness to put in 300 or more hours of 'sweat equity' and to attend classes on how to budget for and take care of a home.

Jeff Capps, Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity executive director, said Cooper's application 'stuck out' — it was clear she needed a secure, stable place to raise her family and she was willing to work hard to make that happen, despite what her past behavior might suggest.

'Everybody has challenges,' he said. 'We don't expect people to be perfect. We expect they'll come in, work hard and seize the opportunity made available by the generosity of our community.'

Capps emphasized homes built by Habitat aren't just 'a giveaway.' They're a 'hand up, not a hand out,' he said.

Owners are expected not only to help AmeriCorps volunteers build their home, but also pay it forward by volunteering in the community.

Cooper balanced work at Long John Silvers, cosmetology school and raising two kids while volunteering for Meals on Wheels and putting at least 400 sweat hours into her house, which was built in four months.

She said she was 'ecstatic' to have the keys to her northeast Cedar Rapids home in late fall 2010.

The first night they didn't have any furniture, so they slept on the living room floor together, Cooper recalled. But still, she said, she 'couldn't believe where she was.'

Since then, Cooper has filled the house with furniture, had a second daughter — Jordan Renae, now 3 — and opened Brunettes Salon in Cedar Rapids last March with her business partner, Alyssa Davis, after taking out a small-business loan.

Friends and family helped decorate the salon with recycled materials from Cooper's grandparents farm — such as the painted tin ceiling, for example — and Habitat's ReStore in Cedar Rapids.

The name, Brunettes, is an homage to underdogs like her, she said. Blondes have more fun, red heads are considered sexy — and then there's brunettes, she explained. But, of course, everyone is welcome regardless of hair color.

In addition to lower-priced haircuts — starting at $19 — the salon also offers tanning, body waxing, hair coloring and styling. They hope to add massage soon, as well.

Cooper wants to use her salon as an opportunity to give back to the community that helped her get on her feet.

'It fills me up to make people feel good,' she said. 'I want them to feel like members of a club, instead of just a head in a chair.'

By making monthly payments on her zero-interest mortgage, she helps other families, too. Her house payments go toward the Fund for Humanity, a revolving fund that 'helps Habitat continue to serve families' by funding the not-for-profit's overhead costs and other family's homes, Capps explained.

Cooper, who hasn't missed a payment yet, emphasized the importance of raising her children to understand how fortunate they are and how important it is to help others in need.

'For someone to recognize how blessed they are and to pass that along to another family ...

. It's inspiring,' Capps said.

Still, Cooper said she's 'not sure why opportunities have been given' to her. She's 'usually not lucky,' she said, but she believes, now, she's earned it.

'She's worked hard to get where she is,' Davis, co-owner of Brunettes, agreed. 'That hard work is paying off.'