Habitat for Humanity gifts single mother new home in Saanich
There was cause for celebration on Thursday afternoon, when another island family was handed the keys to a new affordable home thanks to Habitat for Humanity Victoria.
"It doesn't feel real yet," said the recipient, a single mother who CTV News is not identifying, when she received the keys to the home in Saanich.
"It feels a bit surreal, but [I'm] excited for the opportunity and to get into it and actually be a homeowner," she said.
The mother and her son were the guests of honour at the housewarming party on Thursday.
They're part of the newest Habitat for Humanity family.
"This is a program that puts money into families' pockets, not landlords' pockets, so it's a really good news story all around," said Scott Dutchak, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Victoria.
With the help of partnerships, fundraising and volunteerism, Habitat for Humanity Victoria helps families break into the heated housing market, with enough money leftover to live comfortably.
For this mother and son, it's a dream come true, and an experience the mother never expected.
"Especially in Victoria, it's out of control," she said.
"I wouldn't have been able to save up enough for a down payment here by any means."
The home is located in a complex that was built by Habitat for Humanity in 2010.
The family that previously lived in the unit was able to build up enough equity to put a down payment on a market home.
About six months ago, Habitat for Humanity bought the unit back from that family and fixed it up for the new owners.
"So it really allows people to move through the housing continuum, from renter to 'Habitat family' to full homeowner, which is incredibly encouraging," said Dutchak.
"We've done this many times before and each time it's special for sure," he said.
The Saanich mother and son are now part of a larger network and will help pitch in with volunteer hours to help make their dream a reality for others too.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.