Stepping through the doors of her new home for the first time, Maurine Hoogervorst needed a box of Kleenex.
The single mother of three daughters was handed the keys to her new home after completing the 500 hours of sweat equity to earn the right to the mortgage through Habitat for Humanity’s Women’s Build.
“Just last night when I was sleeping on the couch, I could hear the little critters in the walls and I was thinking this is the last time I’m going to have to hear this,” she said.
Hoogervorst and her daughters shared a small rental home that had one bathroom to share between them. For the family, this house is a major upgrade.
“My heart stopped. When I saw it’s been a dream come true, it’s a dream come true. When I walked in the door it only hit in that moment,” oldest daughter Chantel Huntinghawk said.
#GlobalWinnipeg ladies joined #HabitatforHumanity’s ‘Women Build’ to help construct a home for a single mom. Such an empowering initiative where women construct the house, learn new skills, and help build each other up. @680CJOB @globalwinnipeg @Habitat_MB pic.twitter.com/Sn2l96ReJH
— Malika Karim (@Malika_Karim_) May 28, 2019
The house is also the one that the Global News team helped construct.
“Thank you to everybody who’s ever been part of my life,” Hoogervorst said. “It’s been full of struggles, but I wouldn’t have gotten this far without each and every one of them.”
WATCH: ‘A dream I didn’t know I had’ — Habitat for Humanity recipient
The goal was for the family to move in before Christmas; now they get to move in before Thanksgiving.
After they get the homes from this year built, Habitat for Humanity Manitoba will have constructed about 420 homes — most of which are in Winnipeg.
“It is a tremendous effort by a lot of people,” Habitat for Humanity Manitoba CEO Sandy Hopkins said.
“When we can hand the keys over, it is a great success and great joy for everyone. We now have a family that is going to be safe and secure in their new home.”
WATCH: Habitat for Humanity Women Build — Maurine and Chantel
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