Monday was an exciting day for two young families who have settled nicely into Sarnia.
The Lopez and El Ahmad families were handed the keys to their brand new Habitat For Humanity homes during a special ceremony.
The homes are located at 100 and 104 College Ave., at the corner of Davis Street.
One of them will house Douglas Lopez, his wife Milagro and their three children.
"I'm very excited to be here today," said Lopez. "I've been waiting for today for a long time and finally it's here. I'm very, very happy and my family feels the same thing. It's very exciting and we're happy. I never pictured the home in my mind. It's very exciting to see how big it is. If you walk by, it looks small but when you are inside, it's a total difference. I want to thank everyone who got involved to get this house built for our family."
Lopez first came to the area from El Salvador in 1993. After returning to El Salvador for a few years, his brother sponsored him and his family to return to Sarnia.
The El Ahmad family in front of their Habitat For Humanity home on College Avenue - May 30/22 (Blackburn Media photo by Josh Boyce)
Ezzeideen El Ahmad, his wife Nahed and their six children will occupy the other home after coming to Sarnia from a war torn country where they lost their home and land.
Ground on the two homes was officially broken in October 2021, and there were some delays due to the pandemic and supply issues.
Habitat CEO David Waters said it's been a long time coming.
"We are delighted to be handing the keys over to the Lopez and El Ahmad families. It has been a difficult past couple of years and we thank them for their patience during the delay in getting their homes built," said Waters. "It has been a long and tiresome battle with the closures surrounding COVID-19 and I want to thank everyone who has contributed to building these two homes. The support of the community continues to be outstanding and we couldn’t have done it without everyone’s strong efforts. The affordable housing shortage in Canada is at a critical level - Habitat Sarnia-Lambton will continue to be an active proponent for change, advancement and social change with a mindset towards affordable housing here in our local community.”
Volunteers continue to work on a pair of builds in Forest, located at 70 Union Street, right in front of St. Christopher’s Catholic Church.
