A single mom in Niagara says her life has changed forever after becoming the latest Habitat homeowner in Niagara.
Chantel, a personal support worker, and the mother of two daughters, started volunteering on the construction of her new home in Port Colborne in Feb. of 2020 after being selected by Habitat Niagara.
In March 2020, Habitat Niagara shut down the build site and its three ReStores due to the COVID pandemic.
Chantel, a personal support worker working midnights at a long-term care home, was restricted to work at a single facility and couldn’t volunteer anywhere due to her job and the risk COVID-19 had on our most vulnerable population.
“It was a real eye-opener to see how much is involved in Habitat’s homeownership program,” said Chantel. “I didn’t have a lot of support at the time, but I had the strength and dedication and the kindness of strangers who helped me out.”
Habitat provides qualified homebuyers with a no-down-payment interest-free mortgage payable to Habitat Niagara, and those payments go into a revolving fund to help build more Habitat homes.
With the real estate market at an all-time high, many landlords are evicting their renters and selling their place to make a profit.
Habitat Niagara has had a growing number of people contact them desperate to find shelter.
Chantel’s youngest daughter’s makeshift bedroom was a small dark, windowless storage room in their apartment, and she will now have her own bedroom.
“This home will change our lives,” said Chantel. “It will be our forever home and we won’t have to worry about a landlord selling it on us and having to look for another place to live.”
“We are the faces of their generosity, it is much more than a foundation for our family, they have created a lasting home for us.”
For more information about Habitat for Humanity’s Homeownership program click here.