Meet Our Homeowners

Meet the Brown Family

Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia Homeowners Since 2023
Oxford, Nova Scotia

We are a family of five: two working parents and three awesome kids — ages 10, 13 and 19 — who have always been renters until now. We never thought we would have the opportunity to buy a home of our own. We were displaced during the pandemic when our long-term rental home was sold. The rising cost of rentals and lack of availability left us with nowhere to go, and we have been precariously housed for the last two years, living with a family member in a two-bedroom mini-home. While we have been grateful for the roof over our heads, it has been very hard to live for so long with all our belongings in storage and sharing sleeping space between two bedrooms.

We first learned about the Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia build in Oxford through a Facebook post and wondered if we might be suitable candidates. We honestly never thought we would have a chance, but we decided to put forth our expression of interest. When we were contacted to say that our family met the criteria to apply, we were excited at the idea but also knew that we were not the only family in need of safe, affordable housing, so we tried not to get our hopes up too high. As we moved through the application process, we became more excited at the idea not only of homeownership but also of becoming part of the Habitat Nova Scotia family. The day we received the call to say that our family had been selected as the partner family for the Oxford home is a day we’ll never forget; there were tears of joy and relief, and the exclamation from our daughter, “We are all finally going to have our own rooms!”

Owning our own home means stability for our family, a room for each one of our kids and the opportunity to get back to a normal life routine. Our two youngest children are already planning their first sleepovers in their new rooms. They can’t wait to have friends over to play and set up their trampoline again in our backyard. For us, as parents, it means providing a safe, stable place for our kids to call home and knowing that we will never have to worry again about having to move. It means being able to relax again and enjoy life with our family. We are so excited to settle in, decorate, plant a garden, entertain guests again and make our house a home. We keep saying we feel like we’ve won the lottery; we finally have a home to call our own, and we have become part of the Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia family. We can’t wait to pay it forward and volunteer our time on future builds to help make other families’ dreams of homeownership come true, too. It truly does take a village, and we are so grateful to become a part of this amazing community!

Meet the Williams Family

Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia Homeowners Since 2022
Stellarton, Nova Scotia

“Homeownership is important to us because it is not only an investment in our future but also in our kids’ futures.”

When Kaitlyn saw a post on social media about a new Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia build coming to Stellarton, she thought it was too good to be true. After reading about the opportunity and the organization, she knew her family would be a great fit.

And she’s right – they are! Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia works to help families by providing them with a hand-up, not a handout. This work spoke to Kaitlyn and her husband, Nelson. Becoming a Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia partner family has enabled them to make their dream of being homeowners a reality. It’s also important for Kaitlyn and Nelson that their son, four-year-old Jaxon, can see first-hand what the kindness of those in their community can achieve. The volunteer aspect of Habitat is meaningful for Kaitlyn and Nelson, and they can’t wait to complete all 500 hours of volunteer hours by working directly on the house alongside those who volunteer.

“As parents, everything we do is for our children, and being able to give them a yard to play in and a home to make memories with their family in means the world.”

Kaitlyn and Nelson are looking forward to putting down roots for their family and having a home to make their own and raise their children in. Next to family and friends, Jaxon also loves school and sports, especially basketball and fishing, and is a terrific big brother to seven-month-old Lila. Lila is best friends with their family pet, Marvin the cat, and it makes her happy when people smile and talk to her. Jaxon’s definition of “home” is enough to melt anyone’s heart: “Where me and mommy and daddy and baby Lila are. And my toys.” The whole family shares this sentiment – home to them is where they are together.