We did it! Almost Home Campaign Goal Achieved

We were unable to purchase a home in Wellington County on our own. We were discouraged and frustrated by how challenging this process was.

We were then provided with the opportunity to apply for Habitat Homeownership. This has allowed us to stay in Wellington County and have a home we can afford.

We thank you for the smooth process in getting here, so that we can continue to grow and have a home that the six of us can feel comfortable in.   

Were so grateful to be in this program, and for our dream of homeownership to come true.

Habitat’s Affordable Homeownership Program has made such a difference in our lives and has provided a much brighter future for me and my family.

Our journey with Habitat for Humanity has been so life changing, from living in unstable housing and optimistically submitting our application, to the day we received the keys to our new home, and everything in between.

Meeting the Habitat Guelph-Wellington team, and completing the volunteer hours along the way, has been such an enjoyable, meaningful, and rewarding experience.

From the bottom of my heart, a great big thank you to Habitat for Humanity for providing my family with a safe, stable, affordable home.

Thank you!

We’re the Pardy family — Mike, Kelly, and our two wonderful children. We feel incredibly grateful to have been chosen as a Garafraxa Village Partner Family through Habitat for Humanity. This opportunity means the world to us.

For the past 10 years, Mike has lived in a small one-bedroom apartment. When we started our family, I (Kelly) joined him there, and it’s been our home ever since. While it holds many special memories, it’s no longer a space that fits or is safe for our family. With four of us in such a small space that’s also in need of repairs, we’ve truly outgrown it. The building is old, and it’s simply not designed for the needs of a young family.

Like so many others, we’ve struggled to break into the current housing market. Homeownership has always felt just out of reach, and even finding a rental that could accommodate our family has been difficult due to high prices and limited options. We first heard about Habitat for Humanity on the news and were intrigued. At first, it almost seemed too good to be true — but after researching the program, we realized it might be the answer we had been hoping for. We applied, and when we found out we had been selected to move forward in the process, we were overjoyed.

Through this process we have meet with so many incredible people who work and volunteer with Habitat that have help us through every step of the process. Now, we’re in the final steps of making our dream a reality — the dream of owning a safe, comfortable home where our children can grow, thrive, and simply be kids. Our kids are especially excited! They can’t wait to have rooms of their own, a place to play outside, and — perhaps most exciting of all — a bathtub to splash around in (they’re not always fans of showers!). It’s the little things like that which make this journey so meaningful.

We’re down to just 116 hours left of our 500 volunteer hours, and we’re filled with hope and excitement for what’s to come. Being part of this program is more than just about building a house — it’s about building a future, and we’re so thankful to be on this journey with Habitat and our community.

I had been living in Guelph on a one-bedroom apartment before my wife moved to Canada in early 2024, as we were already expecting the birth of our twins.

After purchasing items for the twins, going on parental leave with one income made it difficult to look for larger space, and rental prices were significantly higher than my current rent. My coworker asked me if I had applied to Habitat for Humanity, and I said no. She forwarded a link to me, and after going through the Habitat website, it was a huge relief and a breath of fresh air for me.

I went home, discussed it with my wife, and applied right away; now we are proud homeowners; it feels like a dream to us, but it is real.

A million thanks to Habitat for Humanity!

The journey from that first presentation to today has been nothing short of incredible.

I still remember sitting there, listening to the possibilities, feeling a sense of hope I hadn’t felt in a long time. In the face of a growing housing crisis and skyrocketing retail home values, the dream of owning a home felt completely out of reach for a single parent like me; it felt impossible, a dream I’d have to put on the back burner forever. But then, I found the program, and my perspective completely changed.

The program’s support has been a lifeline, turning the impossible into a tangible reality, and the monthly communications, the diligent tracking of volunteer hours, and the constant, reassuring check-ins have made this journey feel less like a transaction and more like a partnership. It’s been an amazing experience to be part of a community that truly cares about helping families like mine, and the dedication and compassion of everyone involved have been a constant source of inspiration.

As a single parent, my world revolves around my young children, and owning this home isn’t just about a financial asset; it’s a deeply sentimental milestone. It’s about providing stability, security, and a sense of belonging that we’ve never had before. This isn’t just a house; it’s a sanctuary, a place where my kids can grow up feeling safe and loved, and every corner of this home will be filled with laughter, memories, and the simple joys of childhood. This home gives us a foundation to build our future on; it gives my kids the assurance that they have a permanent place to call their own, a place where they can always come back to.

This home is a testament to what’s possible when a community comes together to lift one another up; it’s an incredibly powerful feeling. I am so grateful for this opportunity and the immense support I’ve received. Thank you for making this dream a reality and for giving me and my kids a place to finally, truly call our own.

Why did I apply to Habitat for Humanity?

I have been living on my own, renting for the last 10 years with a goal and dream of owning my own house. Over the last number of years with how the housing market is, it has felt like that goal/dream was getting further and further away.

I have done my best to save over the last 10 years but I would still have a distance to go in order to afford a house. I saw an opportunity with Habitat for Humanity to help me financially to get to my goal/dream of owning a house.

Now I am a homeowner!

John and I moved here to Canada hoping for a better future.

John moved just before COVID happened which made it more challenging for him, while I moved here a couple years after. When we decided to start a family, it didn’t go easy. Being new and adapting to the culture here is one thing, but balancing work and life is another thing. Starting new requires us to work a lot even if it takes couple or more jobs to build that credit, to process and pay for a lot of papers/ documents, to earn and study for a better opportunity here.

When we first started living together, we were okay to just have what is needed even if it’s a small apartment space. It was tough looking for an apartment but also considering the budget and the competition we have during that time as we are barely new. When I got pregnant, we knew we needed to do a lot of changes. We wanted to have our baby to live in a safe home and have enough space for him to crawl, learn and play as like other kids.

A friend of ours, a Habitat Homeowner as well, told us about Habitat and how it helps families achieve their homeownership goals. Like other families, we started with reading about Habitat and its goals to make sure it aligns with what our goals too. We applied and after months we follow through the process with all the help and guidance from the team especially Kathryn who answers all my questions and worries, we are closer now into getting our first home.

I am extremely excited for my baby, who is 6 months old now, to see the home and the future neighbors that will be part of him as he grows up.