Fiona’s Story

Habitat Victoria is thrilled to celebrate the completion of its 24th home in Greater Victoria with single mom Fiona and her two young children. Located in Central Saanich, this latest home is part of a newly developed subdivision made possible with land donated by Walking Stick Developments Inc. “We were extremely pleased to work with Habitat for Humanity on this project,” said Gary Lunn of Walking Stick Developments Inc. “Their organization does great work to support young families getting into housing. It would be fantastic to see more people and organizations partner with them in this way.”

Fiona and her family moved into their new home over the weekend, Fiona shared “My family is so overjoyed at the opportunity to own our home. My children are so excited, we drove by our new house every day we could! Our current landlords were planning to provide us with notice to end our tenancy, forcing us to move again. I dreamed of a place where my children would have their own rooms, where we would not have to worry about the home being sold and forcing us to move again…and a place that we can proudly call our own.”

Mayor of Central Saanich, Ryan Windsor added: “It’s great to see a second successful Habitat for Humanity house built in Central Saanich. We welcome this latest family to the community. We look forward to future collaborations that bring additional Habitat houses for families to the community”.
 
“COVID-19 has continued to shine a light on the acute need for more affordable housing here in Victoria,” said Yolanda Meijer, CEO Habitat Victoria. “Finding something affordable is a huge challenge for many families, who often have to settle for something unsafe or inadequate because of budget constraints. We hope that more builders will reach out to partner with Habitat and help provide local families with access to our unique, affordable homeownership program.”

​“It’s funny, but I always felt like there were others out there who were struggling more than I was,” said Fiona when we asked her why she applied to become a future Habitat Homeowner. “It took a conversation with a close friend about future plans to really bring home the reality of the situation for me and that I could be a part of this program.” 

Fiona put herself through school and works full time as an accountant, but as a single Mom, juggling the costs of childcare and rent has become a real worry. “I have been really focused on trying to get my finances organized, not spending where I don’t need to and trying to save a little,” shared Fiona. “You do the best you can and it’s important not to give up – even $30 a week is something.”

The family currently lives in a small two-bedroom basement suite, though this is not the first rental they have had. They were forced to move when their previous landlord sold the property. “With rental costs being so high, I don’t know what I would do if we had to move again,” worried Fiona. “Living in Victoria, it can sometimes feel hopeless. Financially you just keep working at it, but having a house didn’t feel like something I could even consider.”

There has been a lot of anxiety around finances for Fiona, and it has been taking its toll. “To have this opportunity with Habitat and the stability it will bring feels like winning the lottery, it’s such a relief. I feel like I can breathe again. We can stop treading water and finally move forward with our lives. To be paying an affordable mortgage and really contributing to our future feels so right to me.”

The kids are really looking forward to having a space of their own as they currently share a bedroom, which, with one boy and one girl, is getting harder as they get older. “There is no room for them to have friends over or have some privacy, so this will make such a difference,” enthused Fiona. Being part of the Habitat program also means that the children can stay in their current school and continue their after school activities. “They have been part of the Karate program for three years now, and they get so much out of it and it allows me to work full time. I am so grateful they have this.”

Along with working, Fiona volunteers 10 to 15 hours a week with charities in Victoria. “And I can’t wait to start working on my volunteer time with Habitat! It feels like such a good fit for me, I would love to be part of the program and be able to help other families along the way for many years to come.”

Fiona and her family will be moving into our Central Saanich single family home.