The Utocqua Jackson story

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How a lifetime of lessons and one unexpected opportunity is helping

one Louisville woman begin again.

By The Fuller Center for Housing of Louisville

Some homes are remembered for their size. Others are remembered for the memories

made inside them. For Utocqua, home was never just a house. It was the place

where her parents built a life against the odds.

In 1974, they purchased a home on Delor Avenue, becoming the first Black family in the

neighborhood. It was a milestone they had worked hard to achieve, but one that came with

painful reminders that not everyone welcomed them. As a young girl, Utocqua remembers

finding a cross burned in their yard. She remembers hateful words spray-painted across her

father's brand-new Cadillac. She remembers her father looking at her and calmly saying,

"Don't let anybody make you feel like you don't belong. This is where we belong. This is

what we worked for."

After celebrating her parents' fiftieth anniversary in the house, the family sold it in early

2025. What should have been a new chapter instead became one of the most difficult

seasons of Utocqua's life. "I didn't know where I was going to live," she recalled.

The years that followed tested her in ways she never expected. She temporarily lived with

relatives. At one point, she found herself staying in a hotel. Money, she inherited and

believed had been safely entrusted to a family member disappeared, costing her

thousands of dollars. During that same period, she was hospitalized with pancreatitis and

faced the emotional loss of a nephew who died by suicide after experiencing

homelessness. One hardship seemed to follow another.

Yet even in the middle of uncertainty, she never stopped believing another home was

possible. That opportunity arrived when her niece encouraged her to apply to The Fuller

Center for Housing of Louisville. Looking back, Utocqua says she almost didn't apply.

"I'm glad she told me to 'Sign Up NOW'." 

Something felt different. She wasn't treated like a number. She felt like family. When the approval letter arrived in the mail, years of uncertainty gave way to tears of relief. "I screamed. I cried. They were happy tears," she remembered.

Since joining the Fuller Center's Homeownership Program, the transformation has been

much more than preparing to purchase a house. It has been about rebuilding confidence.

Through financial coaching, homeownership education, and the support of staff,

volunteers, and fellow partner families, Utocqua has learned how to manage her finances

differently, strengthen her savings, and prepare for the responsibilities of homeownership.

For the first time in years, she says she wakes up with hope.

"I have something to look forward to," she said. "Instead of getting alerts that my savings are

dwindling, I get to watch it grow."

For Utocqua, that mission is deeply personal. She grew up watching her parents

demonstrate what homeownership could mean for a family. Now, she hopes to continue

that legacy by creating a home where her own family can gather for Sunday dinners, Taco

Tuesdays, holidays, and all the traditions that make a house feel like home.

When asked what she would tell another family considering the Fuller Center's

Homeownership Program, her answer was immediate.

"If you are a parent and you have children, this would be the best start for your children's

future," she said. "This program will help you provide home security for your children."

For Utocqua, homeownership is more than a milestone. It is the chance to honor her

parents' legacy, create one of her own, and prove that even after life's hardest seasons,

hope still has an address.

Have a question or a suggestion? We're always here to help. Contact us today and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. (502) 272-1377 or zpuryear@fchky.org