A local family now has a safe, stable and affordable place to call home, thanks to the community and Habitat for Humanity Niagara. This is the third home Habitat Niagara has completed in Thorold this year, with a two-unit semi-detached home currently under construction – totalling five homes.

Abu, Mai and their family were living in a one-bedroom apartment and when the family grew from three to five, they had to move multiple times because the places they could afford had many issues.

“I wanted to provide my family with a better life and safety,” said Abu. “When we got accepted into Habitat’s homeownership program we could finally think about our future and how we can send our children to university or college.”

Habitat’s homeownership program provides working families with an opportunity to purchase a decent home by partnering with their local Habitat and paying an affordable mortgage.

All Habitat homeowners go through an application process to determine their level of housing need, their ability to repay Habitat’s affordable mortgage, and their willingness to partner with Habitat, which includes 500 hours of volunteering.

“With the rising cost of living many are finding it difficult to keep a roof over their heads. We continue to tackle the housing crisis here in Niagara by providing hardworking families like Abu and Mai’s, the opportunity to purchase a safe and decent home,” said Mark Carl, Habitat Niagara’s CEO. “This ongoing support requires a lot of resources, and we are very grateful to the many individual donors and corporate partners that support Habitat Niagara and helping families build strength, stability and independence through affordable homeownership.”

“I want to thank everybody, from volunteers who give their time, to companies that donate money and materials,” said Mai. “We have dreamt about it our whole life and they are making our dream come true.”

For additional information, please visit habitatniagara.ca.