There were lots of happy tears at this year’s Habitat for Humanity Chatham-Kent’s 2018 home dedication.
Cindy Krutasky received the keys to her new Pain Court home on Friday and is proud to be able to call herself a homeowner.
This is the fifth house Habitat for Humanity C-K has built with the help of volunteers, the municipality and generous support from local businesses who donated not only their time, but also building materials and expertise to help ensure Krutasky and her family would be living in a safe home.
“This gives us a healthy, fresh start,” said Krutasky about her new home.
Applying in 2016, Krutasky found out she was going to be the recipient in April of 2017. A year and a half later, she cannot quite believe the house is now complete.
“It will sink in on Monday evening when my children and I are praying before bed for the first time in our new home. For now, it’s a little surreal.”
Required by Habitat for Humanity to contribute 500 hours to the build, Krutasky, her family and friends went above and beyond.
“The total for her was 1,500 hours. That is how many lives she has touched in her journey – she is very, very supported,” said executive director for Habitat for Humanity C-K Nancy McDowell.
The help shown to Krutasky and her family is something that McDowell is confident will continue in the coming years.
“She is a special person, but then so are all of our families. This represents a launching point to future growth where we hope we will be doing multiple builds.”
While this home is now complete, McDowell and her team are already planning the sixth, which will be built in Chatham.
“We are looking for property, but we already have our family and there is a lot of fundraising that has to happen to build a house. Even with the support of the community, it is still costly.”
McDowell said in order to qualify for the program, families do need to be making an income, a fact that often gets misconstrued.
“They purchase their home. It’s trying to get the word out that you need to be making money, but the home is interest free and there is no deposit.”
To help fundraise for the next house, a raffle draw is underway with tickets available to purchase for $100 apiece at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store at 566 Riverview Dr. until Nov. 5. With only a total of 1,000 tickets being sold, the lucky winner could walk away with a $20,000 cash prize.
