Sault family looking forward to home ownership
A Sault Ste. Marie family is excited to move into its new home after being selected by Habitat For Humanity to take ownership of the agency's recently completed house on Wellington Street West.
The Aikens family is the 14th local family to move into a Habitat For Humanity home in the Sault. When Tanya Aikens received the call informing her of her successful application, she couldn't believe it.
"Oh my goodness, I was so surprised, so happy," said Aikens. "It was like, honestly, a Christmas miracle because it came in December. It was just out of this world."
Aikens said she's been renting all of her life and is looking forward to the safety and security of owner her own house.
"I am a support attendant, I work for March of Dimes Canada, I've been there 19 years this year," said Aikens, who will be moving in with her son Alexander and grandson Onyx. "I'm just raising my family, doing the best I can like everyone else and trying to get ahead."
Allyson Schmidt, who is on the Board of Directors for Habitat For Humanity Sault Ste. Marie, said the agency looks at a number of factors when selecting a family for home ownership.
"We look at families who are going to be a good fit for the home," said Schmidt. "So, we look at people having the proper number of bedrooms, that sort of thing. We have to look at their income. We look at all these factors when we're weighing because we do weight each application very carefully."
Meantime, Aikens said she can't wait to move in and have her first family dinner in her new home. She's also looking forward to making the property their own.
"Actually decorate and feel like it belongs to us," she said. "Give the kids a chance to express themselves that you couldn’t do in someone else's house. You couldn't design your rooms the way you want to knowing that some day you might have to move."
Habitat For Humanity Sault Ste. Marie is still accepting applications for a fully-accessible home on Blake Avenue. Those will be accepted until Jan. 25. Habitat expects to break ground on the property in the spring.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Here's how much more Canadian landlords are asking for now, according to a just-released report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
What is basic income, and how would it impact me?
Parliamentarians are considering a pair of bills aiming to lift people out of poverty through a basic income program, but some fear these types of systems could result in more taxes for Canadians who are already financially struggling.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Mexico's president accuses press and volunteer searchers for missing people of 'necrophilia'
The administration of Mexico's president has accused the press and volunteer searchers who look for the bodies of missing people of 'necrophilia,' comments that drew criticism this week.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Out-of-control wildfire burning near Fort McMurray
As of 9 a.m. on Friday, the wildfire burning 28 kilometres southwest of the northeastern Alberta city was 25 hectares in size.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
WATCH Expecting an interest rate cut in June? Don't bet on it after new jobs data
Canada's labour market rebounded in April, adding more than 90,000 jobs, a staggering number of new positions after four consecutive months of little change.