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The dream of owning a home is finally coming true for Jennifer Daniels.
The single mother of four works two jobs and has been living in a two bedroom apartment, unable to save up for a down payment on a house.
Last year Daniels was selected by Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program to become a partner family. Since then she’s been working off 500 hours of sweat equity to be able to purchase the Women Build home.
“I love it. This is awesome,” Daniels said as she and two of her children took their first steps into the fully finished house.
They were getting a sneak peek before officially taking over the house and the mortgage at a key ceremony March 17, 2017.
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Room by room the trio soaks in every square foot of the place. Sunshine streaming through the windows enhance their inaugural tour, laced with the smell of fresh paint and soft carpets under their feet.
“We have a place where we can actually sit and watch TV together or have a meal together,” Daniels said.
Things the new house and it’s 1,824 foot living space can now offer.
“I have a mattress that I put down on the ground in the middle where the coffee table is and that’s where I sleep,” Emily Daniels explains. the 15 year old has been sleeping in the living room with no privacy and no space to call her own.
In the family’s new house, Emily has already laid claim to one of the two bedrooms in the basement.
“Jenn’s kids will be able to make this their home and they can paint their walls and put up posters, whatever they want. And they can just be kids,” said Joanne Machado, fundraising chair for the Women Build program.
TIMELAPSE: Crew prepares, delivers and tears down live on location at Habitat for Humanity
This house is the 13th home in Winnipeg sponsored by Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program since 2005.
“We’re all about women coming together to help women,” Machado said.
“There’s a lot of single moms out there so we always try to pick a single mom to be a women build homeowner.”
The Women Build committee and it’s volunteers not only help construct the house during a two week building blitz, they also raise money through out the year to cover the funds needed to sponsor one house annually.
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Daniels and her son worked along side the many volunteers over the summer. She not only appreciates the support of the volunteers, she’s also learnt a lot through the process.
“You appreciate it more because you put sweat into this house you know,” Daniels said.
As Daniels prepares to move into the new house and take on the mortgage, she also plans to spend some of her free time with the Women Build committee.
“I just want to be able to teach my kids that no matter how hard life can get you can always strive to do better.”
Find out more about Habitat for Humanity and Women Build.
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