Family of 3 prepare to move into latest Habitat for Humanity build in Thunder Bay, Ont.
CBC
Nicole Wiercinski says being able to move into her own home in time for the holidays “feels like a dream come true.”
The mother of two in Thunder Bay, Ont., says her sister encouraged her to apply for Habitat for Humanity’s home ownership program, where low-income families are able to work toward a no-down-payment, interest-free mortgage.
Now, she’s getting ready to move out of a basement apartment and into a three-bedroom house on Alexandra Street with her 10-year-old son, Zander, and seven-year-old daughter, Zoey.
“It's just been an amazing opportunity and experience,” Wiercinski said. “I'm feeling overwhelmed and really happy and really excited and really thankful right now.”
Habitat for Humanity Thunder Bay has built more than 35 homes in the northwestern Ontario city since 1994. The home dedication for its latest build was held on Friday.
The Alexandra Street home faced some unique challenges, including tools being stolen from the build site earlier this year — a problem other charitable organizations have faced — and a lack of tradespeople.
“They're really busy with all the construction in town, and the trades are always short-handed workers,” said Habitat for Humanity Thunder Bay’s chief executive officer, Todd Davis.
“We were a little bit late this year getting [the home] finished up but we’re there, we crossed the finish line.”
Wiercinski put in 500 volunteer hours in order to qualify for the space, which included construction on the house itself.
“They were basically teaching me a lot of things that I had never learned before, how to use different tools, and it was a very interesting learning experience for me,” Wiercinski said. “I think that I might like to continue to do more of that in the future.”
“It was really refreshing to be a part of that and I think it definitely made me appreciate the home more,” she added.
Zoey said she’s excited to decorate her room with LED lights — something she’s put on her Christmas wish list.
“I might get this thing where there's like moons and stars shining all over my room and stuff and I put it on in the nighttime and it's cool,” she said.
As for Zander, he said he’s looking forward to enjoying the neighbourhood’s amenities.
When Aiden O’Halloran was in Grade 6, he was getting 80s on his math tests, learning fractions, angles and double-digit addition, and keeping up with his class with targeted support.
Nicole Wiercinski says being able to move into her own home in time for the holidays “feels like a dream come true.”
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