Meet Stevanus and Deasyana’s family
In the last decade, the price of a family-sized home in the GTA has soared to 15x the rate of average incomes, leaving more and more families struggling to make ends meet in cramped, unsafe housing.
Stevanus and Deasyana, and their children Ethan and Sophia, lived together in a one-bedroom apartment in downtown Toronto. Stevanus, an accomplished technology and information support specialist, provides for the family financially while Deasyana provides care for Ethan and Sophia. Their place allowed Stevanus to conveniently commute to his workplace but fell drastically short of meeting their family’s other needs, along with being unaffordable.
Living in Toronto has many challenges, with finding affordable housing options being among the most difficult. The family had been looking for a three-bedroom apartment for some time, but hadn’t found any options with appropriate space, safety, proximity to work and at a price point that wouldn’t encourage them to fall behind financially.
“We needed a larger unit with three bedrooms. The four of us slept in the same bedroom, but the price to rent three bedrooms was way out of our budget,” Stevanus said.
On top of the space issues, there were often strangers trespassing in their building and the family had experienced uneasy, difficult encounters in the community.
All of these things put together made Stevanus extremely aware of the family’s surroundings and the need to improve them to ensure a safer future. He and Deasyana wanted their children to play in a more family-friendly neighbourhood, with access to public transit to allow Stevanus to continue growing his career.
One day, Stevanus’ sister sent him some information on Habitat for Humanity GTA’s homeownership program. The family applied for a three-bedroom townhome and began their partnership shortly after, moving into their home in the Junction neighbourhood.
Now, the family will contribute towards an affordable mortgage and build equity instead of paying rent. Habitat homeownership enables them to invest in themselves and their children’s futures. Moving into their Habitat home will provide “peace of mind for the next 20 years,” Stevanus said. “We look forward to being in a new neighbourhood, meeting new neighbours, and spending time outside with our family and friends.”
Stevanus and Deasyana are looking forward to their children having a safe place to grow up. A place where they can just be kids. The family sees themselves flourishing in a new and safer neighbourhood, where Ethan and Sophia can play outdoors and have their own space.
You can help more families like Stevanus and Deasyana’s.