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
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Ontario urges mpox testing amid spike in cases
Ontario health officials are urging public health units to test for mpox, the viral disease formerly known as monkeypox, amid a spike of confirmed cases in the province.
More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
'Don't expect any deals:' Expert says stores may not offer steep discounts on post-Easter chocolate
Those looking to snap up cheap treats at their local grocery store next week following the Easter long weekend could be in for a bit of a surprise as the rising cost of cocoa continues to drive up the price of chocolate, one expert says.