‘It’s going to be amazing’: Habitat for Humanity home to help deaf teen with independence, safety

Hammering nails into her soon-to-be new home is truly a labour of love for Gemina Rose.

Rose, a single mother and health care aid, was lending a hand in the Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build Monday. She and her 15-year-old daughter, Jancis Anthony, will eventually be moving out of their apartment and into a Habitat for Humanity home in the city’s Amber Trails neighbourhood.

“I’m so grateful and happy to be a part of building our house,” Rose told Global News. Rose says she’ll never forget the day she received the call, saying she would be getting a new home.

“We were in the middle of the pandemic, it was like tension from left right centre as I work as a health care aid,” Rose said. “It’s so stressful, and getting news like that — I always say it’s feel-good news for me. I was so happy.”

Rose says her daughter has been counting down the days until they move into their new home. The home will feature special modifications for Jancis, who is deaf.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“When my mom told me I was like ‘a new house?’ and she said yeah,” Jancis said through ASL. “And I said ‘woo hoo’, and I was jumping up and down and I was so excited.”

“She’s thrilled, she’s thrilled. This will be very exciting for her,” Manitoba School for the Deaf principal Ricki Hall said. “For most of their lives, they’ve been living in someone else’s home and so to have their own home that they actually own now, will be exciting.”

The home will have modifications for Jancis, including doorbells, fire and smoke alarms that use light instead of sound.

“It’s going to help her become a little bit more independent and it’s also a safety feature for her,” Hall said. “When she’s home alone mom can be rest assured that she can be aware when there’s a fire, smoke, or carbon dioxide, she would know what to do.”

Jancis says she can’t wait for the day they get the keys to their new home.

“It’s probably going to be a jaw-dropping experience,” Jancis said. “It’s going to be amazing.”

For mom, it is sure to be a day filled with emotion.

“I’m gonna break down and cry probably,” Rose said. “It’s going to be a very emotional day that day.”