“This opportunity has put my life on a new and exciting trajectory.”
This was Amanda’s reaction to learning she had been selected as a new Habitat Homeowner.
Amanda, now a Canadian Citizen, immigrated to Canada from Australia in 2012. She and her son Brady (5) had struggled to find affordable housing in the area they needed to live in and Amanda was keen to ensure they found somewhere they could make a long term home. “Due to low rental vacancies, high rental prices and competition from other applicants, finding a safe and affordable home in Duncan was a challenge.”
Amanda originally wasn’t planning to apply to become a Habitat Homeowner; she had misconceptions about the application process and thought she wouldn’t qualify. “Luckily,” she says, “someone knew better and sent me the link!” After researching Habitat and the application requirements a little further, she decided to take the leap and put in an application. “I thought it was a long shot, but the chance to own my own home – to be able to provide a permanent home for my son – was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
When she found out she had been selected for a Habitat home, Amanda was surprised and overjoyed. “That moment literally changed my life,” she says. Having a permanent place to call home will make a major difference in her and Brady’s lives and will allow them to build a better financial future. “I am incredibly grateful to have that stability,” she says. “As a single parent, owning my own home was a faraway dream. Thanks to Habitat for Humanity, it is now a current reality.”