Housing Lottery Winner Was on Seventh Heaven
Krasimira Banova might be the only person to have taken part in Housing Assistance’s Walk for Hope entirely on her own.
In 2023, she learned about the walk during a visit to Housing Assistance’s Orleans office. She wanted to be part of it, but the walk was scheduled for a day she wasn’t able to attend. Rather than miss out completely, she walked the 3-mile route in Orleans alone on an April day. “I like to walk and hike, but this was special because I was walking for a bigger reason,” she said. “When you volunteer, you feel good. When you give something to somebody, you feel happy.”
A retired telecommunications worker, Banova volunteers for Helping Our Women, a resource center for women living with chronic or serious health conditions in the Outer Cape towns, from Eastham to Provincetown. For years, she moved in and out of seasonal rentals in Provincetown because of the shortage of year-round rentals.
Banova put her name on waiting lists for affordable housing from Brewster to Provincetown. In 2025, she learned that she had won placement for a one-bedroom apartment in Provincetown through a lottery conducted by Housing Assistance.
“I was on seventh heaven. I couldn’t believe it. All that happened, I think, is a miracle. Everybody at Housing Assistance was so kind and welcoming, especially Melissa, my intake coordinator. The people are so nice. They all smile at me and they want to help me.”
Krasi, during her solo version of the Walk for Hope in 2023.
As cold and snowy as it was, Banova enjoyed her first winter living in her new home and is looking forward to her first summer there.
She lives on Stable Path, in a neighborhood of 23 apartments across 10 buildings, just a short distance from the Cape Cod National Seashore. “I feel that I live amongst humans,” she said. “We help each other, smile, and greet each other. When I go out, I know everybody will say, ‘hello, how are you?’ But the reason I want to stay here at the end of the Cape is nature. I belong to two hiking clubs and truly enjoy the landscape. It’s a wonderful place.”
Three years after her first visit to Housing Assistance, Banova no longer walks alone. She has found both community and a sense of belonging among her neighbors, grounding her life in the place she now calls home. Her story is a reminder that when people come together—through a walk, a kind word, or a helping hand—those small acts can lead to stability, connection, and the feeling of truly belonging.
