This story is a part of a series we are publishing called “Habitat Family Stories”. They’re the stories of our partner families from all walks of life in varying stages of their journey. Many of them have been in their Habitat homes for close to a decade. Get to know the families we work alongside by checking the “family story” tag.
Ridwan got his Habitat home at the beginning of 2016 after applying multiple times. While he qualified for the program, there were no homes available at that time that met his family’s space requirements. He, his wife, and their 4 children were living in a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle. They’d lived there since 2007 but didn’t think the area was a good neighborhood for children. The area was experiencing a boom in nightclub and bar business and the family had growing frustrations such as scarce parking, rising rent and the safety obstacles to using public transit. “I had a feeling that I would became homeless because of the regular rising of the rent”. Their search for better suited housing only turned up unreasonably costly results.
Ridwan Heard about the Habitat Homeowner program through his friend who is a Habitat homeowner in Newcastle. The application process was fairly smooth once Ridwan and his family was approved for the program. The family lives in a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom home in Snoqualmie where they appreciate the access to better schools for their children. They’ve become very active in their children’s education and find that it takes up most of their time. “Community means everything,” said Asma, “you need people for everything, and I support where I can. Even if I only have one dollar.”
For Ridwan, owning a home gives him freedom to express himself and relieves him of the stress he experienced in their old neighborhood. He no longer has to worry about his children playing outside or police in their apartment building on a frequent basis. “We are proud to be a Habitat family…now we are a part of Habitat; we will stay a part of Habitat forever.”