Habitat for Humanity twice as nice in P.A.

Habitat for Humanity had a doubly successful day, opening one new home and breaking ground for another.

On Thursday, Delores Pocha received the keys to her new home in a dedication ceremony in Prince Albert.

For Pocha, who has three children and one grandchild living with her, homeownership is no longer a dream or a goal, it has become a reality.

“I couldn’t do it on my own financially, and then I heard about the program through a friend,” said Pocha. “I went to a meeting, and that’s where it started.”

She said going through the transition from renting a home, to owning, has been quite the experience.

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“Now I own it, own it…I have colour on my walls,” she said laughing.

In the second ceremony of the day, a family who immigrated to Prince Albert five years ago had the exciting opportunity to officially start the build on their new home.

Lu Paw spent the majority of her life in a refugee camp in Thailand, after fleeing Burma as a child.

Decades later, Paw and her husband Mar Taw have been given the chance to own their own home in Canada.

Their two children spent their school-lunch break at the event. Heylerbwe Wah, 6, excitedly posed for pictures raving about his future house, while Rosemary Taw, 4, was a little shyer.

The family will be contributing 500 hours of their time in the construction.

Local MLA Victoria Jurgens was there, representing the Minister of Social Services, Donna Harpauer.

“This is a great example of what happens when we work together to make good things happen in our community,” said Jurgens, in her speech addressing the crowd of volunteers and business partners.

“On behalf of the province, I would like to thank everyone involved in making these homes a reality and helping two Saskatchewan families embark on a brighter future for themselves, beginning with a home to call their own.”

The province now provides $65,000 towards the construction of each new Habitat home. These homes are single-family bungalows, approximately 1,000 square feet.

asoloducha@panow.com

On Twitter: @asoloducha