A place to call their own
When Chantal and her three young children immigrated to Western Massachusetts in 2012, she couldn’t know everything the years ahead would bring. But she knew what she wanted for them: a better life and more opportunities. Fourteen years later, after navigating the challenges of starting over in a new country, the family is preparing for another beginning — a home Chantal will help build and purchase through Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity (GSHFH).
Chantal received the news on a warm, sunny Friday afternoon in late June. She and her children stepped outside to find Habitat staff and board members waiting with a sign, smiles, and congratulations.
“I did not expect it at all,” she said. “I was very surprised and happy when Habitat came and told us. Being chosen by Habitat for Humanity means so much to us because it allows our family to finally have the stability we have been searching for.”
When they arrived in the United States in 2012, Chantal’s children were 3, 7, and 10. Before that, the family had lived as refugees in Rwanda after Chantal was forced to leave her native Democratic Republic of Congo because of war and conflict. In Western Massachusetts, she faced the challenges of adjusting to a new way of life while working to provide a stable home for her children.
“We have had to move three different times. One apartment was affected by a fire. Another became too small for our family, and at another home, the landlord decided to sell the property. We had to move again,” Chantal said. “Each move meant packing our belongings, finding another place to live, and starting over again.”
Chantal, who is a housekeeper at a nursing home, said she learned about Greater Springfield Habitat online and through people who have been through the program.
“I applied because I want a safe, stable, and affordable home for my family,” she said. “I want my children to have a place they can call ‘home.’”
Now, Chantal has begun the Habitat Homebuyer Academy as part of her sweat equity requirements, taking the first steps toward building and purchasing her family’s home.
“Chantal has worked hard to create opportunities for her children through every challenge and every move,” said Olga Callirgos, GSHFH Homeowner Services manager. “As she works toward purchasing her home, she’s building on that commitment. We’re excited to walk alongside her as her family prepares for a future with a place to call their own.”
Comments