Monday March 24, 2008
CityNews.ca Staff
You didn't have to listen to Aster Ghebreamlak's words to understand her excitement and astonishment. Just look at the gleam in her eyes.
The Toronto mother lived a dream on Monday, accomplishing something she never believed possible - moving her family into her own home on Kingston Road. It was a house she helped to construct, along with some well known faces and names from Citytv. The project, a three-bedroom, 1,300 sq.-ft. townhouse, has been under construction for about a year.
It was put up by Habitat for Humanity, an organization that requires owners to pay an interest-free mortgage, while avoiding the often unmanageable downpayments that accompany home ownership.
Raw materials are donated to save on construction costs and volunteers give their time to make sure it all comes together. Selected owners must also contribute 500 volunteer hours, either to the construction of their home or to another cause Habitat is involved in.
And now, after the big build-up, comes the moment this mom was never sure she'd see. She packed up the final vestiges of her life in a cramped two-bedroom apartment on Gordon Ridge Road and officially moved in to what's truly home sweet home.
"I'm so excited," she beams. "Really happy to be there, in my new house ... You know, we wish for [Lotto] 6/49. This is my 6/49 for the rest of my life! Honestly. I'm so happy!"
The house has enough rooms for her young sons, who all had to share one bedroom in their old place. "There was not really a lot of space," son Filimon admits. He's already got ideas for his room. "[Put] my computer over there, maybe right here a little lamp, and wallpaper."
Aster's already thinking of how to add those frills that truly make a house a home. And she has big plans not only for her place but her life, applying to become a registered nurse and hopefully one day, a social worker. "I will be achieving more and more and help other women to get what I am getting," she vows.
And if it's true good things come to those who wait, Aster knows a thing or two about patience. She had to wait months to get into her new address. Her neighbour's homes were still under construction and it took all that time to get the occupancy permits.
Her first night at her new address likely won't produce many dreams as she sleeps in her new bedroom, because all hers came true in the light of day.
"When I used to get up in the morning, like 'oh, now I have to get up. I have to face another day," she reflects. "But now ... I just love life. Life is beautiful ... I feel like I'm coming out from a shoebox."
Habitat FAQ
Don't need a home but want to help the cause? Click here to find out what you can do.
