Meet James and Kristina’s family
When Kristina arrived in the GTA as an immigrant in 2013, her first encounters in Canada were unfavourable. In the six months she lived here, she stayed in three different homes, and even faced a safety threat from one of her landlords. Homesick, she left.
She returned the next year along with her husband James, but issues with their living situation continued. They found themselves renting a basement unit with only one bedroom for them and their son, Paul, and daughter, Anne.
“Our growing kids had no place to play around. Though we had no problem with the price of rent, we also had no parking space available for our car,” Kristina said.
They had faced issues with mould (although it was addressed) and there were also ventilation problems as there were only two small windows in the entire apartment.
“My eldest son and I became so sickly that we frequently got colds and coughs because of the mold on the wall and carpet inside the bedroom,” Kristina said.
When considering their options for more appropriate, affordable housing, Kristina and James did a lot of praying, but also came to the realization they wouldn’t be able to get a mortgage for a house in Toronto.
One day while dropping off their son at daycare, it seemed that a sign had appeared in front of James. “It was like an answered prayer,” Kristina said. “James was very excited to tell me about the Habitat for Humanity GTA program when he arrived home. So, I checked the Habitat for Humanity website and tried, if we were eligible, to apply for the housing program.”
“Immediately, I got a response that we are eligible, and so we followed the process in a timely manner and praise God that we became a partner family. We signed our three-bedroom home agreement on the day of my birthday and it is such a huge blessing,” Kristina said.
For the family being approved for their new home not only represented being able to move into a larger space, but a shift to a better lifestyle for their family.
“This is the biggest dream that we are looking forward to making happen and giving to our children. We cannot wait for the day that we will wake up because of the sun shining on our faces and look out our windows and enjoy the beauty of the surroundings,” Kristina said. “Our children have been missing a chance to appreciate all these creations of God everyday. We want to enjoy the different parts of our future home like our kitchen and entertainment room, where we can all bond together comfortably.”
Some things the family is most looking forward to doing in their own home include easily finishing their laundry, hosting friends and family, and completing chores on their own time — things many of us take for granted.
Perhaps most importantly, Kristina knows moving into their home will have a tremendous impact on their children.
“By the time they can understand things around them, we will make sure that they will look back and thank Habitat for Humanity GTA for giving them and our whole family the opportunity to have a decent and affordable home.”
You can help more families like James and Kristina’s.