When we arrived at the build site today for the ceremony, we all ate one last delicious meal together, and each of the ten families spoke on stage to express their gratitude for every volunteer's hard labor throughout the last ten days. All ten families were then presented with the keys to their new homes and they finally got a first look at the finished product. I would now like to take a moment to paint a picture for all the readers on how deserving these families really are by sharing their Habitat biographies.
Lot #44: Kurihara Family - Kimberly Kurihara and her two daughters, Alyssa and Karley, heard about Habitat for Humanity and their homeownership program when her friends on Oahu and the Big Island were blessed with Habitat homes. She herself applied to be a homeowner of one the Blitz Build 2017 homes, and was approved last year.
A single hardworking mother in the medical field, Kimberly provides for her children as best she can, living paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet. Homeownership seemed very far away until she started working with Habitat West Hawaii. Now, Kimberly tells others not to give up on finding a home.
"There are resources of people you can ask at Habitat West Hawaii," she says. "When I found out that we were approved, I immediately shared the news with my ohana and my friends," Kimberly said. "I think I'm most looking forward to calling it my own home. My children now have a safe haven, a place to call their own; a place where we can water our grass and watch it grow - simple things that we'll appreciate so much!"
Lot #45: Kekauoha-Chartrand Family - The Kekauoha-Chartrand family is a special one for Habitat for Humanity West Hawaii. Napua, Lorrin, and their four children (Taimane, Tale’a, Tainoa, and Lorrin) were only able to move back to Hawaii, the place where they grew up, when Napua’s mother was blessed with a Habitat for Humanity home as part of the 2012 Blitz Build, which saw five families move into new, safe, decent, and affordable homes.
The family moved in with Napua’s mother in 2012, and has been living there ever since. This year, they were blessed with the news that they had been approved for their own Habitat home. Napua’s mother and mother-in-law were the first to find out about the news.
“They have seen the family struggle, and this is the positive we prayed for,” Napua says.
Napua and Lorrin are looking forward to many things when they move into their new home. “We want to have a family meeting, to reevaluate and organize as a family. We will finally have a sense of place, and be able to provide a look into possibilities for my babies – all for them!” says Napua. “This new home means everything! We can start creating memories, special moments – it adds value to every moment at home. It gives us an opportunity to bond further and provides us with a new beginning.”
*Editor's Note: This house blessing was obviously very special to me since this is the family I have been working with for the last ten days. I saw the most special thing happen during the first day of the build that just melted my heart. Napua and Lorrin's youngest son went into the home once he got back from school that day (when only the framing was up in the house) and worked on his homework in what would be his new room. He didn't care that the home wasn't even close to being finished, he was just so thrilled to have a space to call his own and dream about what it would be like in ten days. Today when he got to see the finished house, he went straight into his room and shut the door. When I walked into the house to talk to him, I knocked on his door and he was just sitting on the floor of his new room smiling the biggest grin I've ever seen on a kid. That is pure happiness you can't find anywhere else.
Lot #46: Samoa Family - Renee and her children (Jazmaine, Sapphire, and Samoa) initially lived with her relatives and shared a bedroom. They now live with her mom in a 2 bedroom/1 bathroom apartment. The first person she shared the news with was her mom. She got home from work, read her emails, and started to cry when she read that she was chosen!
The Samoa family looks forward to the same things that all of the partner families do – creating everlasting memories with her children, having a home that her children will always be able to come back to, and in her own words, having “a solid foundation of love, happiness, and peace.”
Lot #47: Kyle Family - Austin and Carabeth Kyle were a late add to the Blitz Build project, so I don't have their biography, but the couple and their dog received their own home today at the ceremony. What's cool about this lot is that there's a full-sized house and a miniature house - their puppy got his own little home to enjoy! When you get a new house, so does your dog.
Lot #48: Pelekane Family - The Pelekane's are a family of three; husband and wife, George and Primrose, and their 16 year old daughter Kamaile. They heard about the 2017 Blitz Build through the 2012 Blitz Build, when Habitat volunteers built 5 homes in 10 days in La'i'Opua.
The three currently live in a two bedroom apartment, and have a lot of plans for their new Habitat home. "We can't wait to start planting our own garden, and for Kamaile to be able to paint pictures on the walls of her own bedroom," says George. "It's going to be so nice to have the freedom of having our own home. To be able to fix my car, or have a BBQ with friends and family, without any restrictions. My daughter especially is looking forward to having a place that we can truly make into our home, something we haven't been able to do in an apartment. Habitat would do anything within their means to help families overcome trials."
Lot #49: Spinney Family - Howard Spinney will be sharing his home with his two sisters—Deemeatrice and Faith, and Faith’s two year old son, Kaulana. Howard currently lives in a home in dire need of repair, and Deemeatrice and Faith both live in public housing apartments. They learned about Habitat through a friend, who is also a current Habitat partner family. The first thing they want to do in their new home—Bless the Home and give Thanks to the Lord!
Lot #50: Dehmer Family - Kekoa heard about Habitat’s program through his friends. He currently lives with his parents, and he, along with his three children (Nanea, Kamalei, and Koamalu), sleep in the living room. The one thing he would want the public to know about Habitat, “They make you feel like family not a customer. The opportunity they are giving families are unbelievable. I feel very blessed to get their help.”
He is looking forward to providing a safe and stable environment for his children— a place they know is safe for them to grow up in.
Lot #51: Brown Family - Jennifer lives with her mom and dad, her two siblings, and her two sons (Levi and Rise). When she found out that she was approved for a Habitat Home as a part of our Blitz Build, the first person she told was her mom.
“I told my mom first because she knows how important owning my own home is to me,” said Jennifer. “Habitat is making my dream of owning a home in the most beautiful place in the world possible!”
Being a Habitat homeowner will mean that Jennifer has a space to raise her two boys in the place she loves the most. “I think it will make them feel good that they have a nice new place to call home, and it will mean everything to them in the future that they were able to be raised here in Hawaii where all of our extended family are.”
Lot #53: Vera Cruz Family - Louis currently lives on Oahu in a senior housing high rise in Honolulu. After waiting over 40 years for a Habitat home, he is finally receiving one at the age of 76. He is most excited for the opportunity to own his own home, and he will be doing most of his sweat equity hours on Oahu with Habitat for Humanity Honolulu.
Editor's Note: Louis had the sweetest speech today. He was overjoyed to finally become a homeowner after waiting decades for a Habitat home, and was so thankful that he wrote down the names of every person who helped with his house and gave them all a shoutout on stage. He even remembered each task that they all did, and when his speech was over, he came back on stage because he forgot to mention one painting task that a volunteer did. What a very humble and deserving guy!
Lot #56: Mokiao Family - Reed heard about Habitat through the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Reed and Joann currently live in a rented studio in Kona. He is looking forward to owning his first home and having a place to put all of his things—tools, surfboards, etc. He is happy that his grown children will have a place to stay when they come to visit him.
I hope you enjoyed the Habitat family bios!
My goal with this blog is not only to share my experiences and encourage others to support Habitat in any way they can, but also to educate those who may not know what Habitat really does for families. Some think that Habitat just gives homes away for free, but that's actually not true. Habitat offers zero-interest, 20 to 30 year mortgages with maximum payments (including taxes and insurance) usually around 30% of the family’s gross income. Once selected, Habitat homeowners must perform a given number of "sweat equity" hours, which means they need to help build their own home, or the homes of others in the homeownership program. Sweat equity can also include taking homeownership classes or performing volunteer work in a Habitat ReStore.
In Hawaii specifically, homelessness remains a reality for a considerable number of individuals and families. The number of homeless residents has been increasing at a rate of 6% per year. The median price of homes currently listed in Hawaii is $600,000, and the median rent price in Hawaii is $2,300, which is not affordable to most of the local workforce.
I hope you learned at least one thing about Habitat from reading this blog, and felt enlightened about the work we do for these deserving families. If there is anything I learned from this build, it's that if you dream big enough, you can achieve even the craziest goals - like building ten homes in ten days. It seems nearly impossible, right? It's never been done by Habitat before, but we did it today, and I'm so glad we dreamed big. Mahalo to all of the families for making this such a heartfelt experience, and thank you also to each one of the amazing volunteers I met along the way. As they say here in Hawaii - a hui hou - until we meet again.
No comments:
Post a Comment