Meet Jihan’s family
Jihan is a single mom who would do anything for her two kids, London and Vaughn. Before they partnered with Habitat for Humanity GTA and moved into their new home in Oshawa, they lived in Markham, where they rented a townhouse. Unfortunately, Jihan struggled to afford her previous home as rent kept increasing. On top of this, they had to live with constant pest infestations, and mould problems. Perhaps most impacting of all, Jihan felt the emotional outcome of working hard but facing barriers to a better future.
“[We were] surrounded by million-dollar homes and families, so trying to explain the wealth gap to my children has been difficult,” she said. “Because my children go to school with children from a wealthy financial situation, I was putting myself in debt to provide them with the same opportunities and experience.”
Jihan started looking around to see if there was a way to get out of her cycle of paying inflating rent, while never getting ahead. Jihan learned about Habitat for Humanity GTA’s program that provides a hand-up to empower people like her through affordable homeownership and decided to apply. She was approved and now lives a much better life in her newly built home in a Habitat GTA community.
“Owning a home is the dream! My dream has come true, now I can dream bigger for what will come next,” she said. “I can save towards my children’s education and my retirement.”
When Jihan received the keys to her new home, she was in tears. Now she’s proud of the place where she lives and is part of a community where she knows the neighbours, her kids can play outside, and she can sleep better at night. While the affordable housing crisis deepens, Habitat for Humanity GTA continues to make a difference and make sure that families like Jihan’s continue to thrive.
You can help more families like Jihan’s.