“Being a homeowner will give us a sense of stability in an extremely difficult housing market,” says Michelle.

​Single parent Michelle was thinking about her son’s future when she applied for the Habitat Victoria homeownership program. After many years of renting, Michelle wanted to build a solid foundation for her son. “I applied to Habitat on a hope, and it’s been an incredible journey since toward homeownership,” says Michelle.
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In their spare time, Michelle and her son like to spend as much time as they can outdoors. “We are always on the go with something - from baseball games to swimming, the calendar is always packed,” says Michelle.

Michelle currently lives in an older adult-oriented rental apartment with an unsafe patio (rotten wood), making the outdoor space unsafe for her son to play on. Despite having a good-sized living room, Michelle refrains from hosting play dates at home because of noise concerns from the neighbors. To maintain good relations with her neighbors, Michelle has put down foam mats for her son to play on, but they are not enough to ease concerns about the sound transfer.

With the current housing crisis in our community, Michelle believed homeownership was out of the question for her small family. Faced with yearly rental increases and the constant threat of relocation from renoviction, Michelle feared she could no longer afford to live in Victoria. “If you are forced to move from your rental, rent prices go through the roof,” says Michelle. The lack of stability in the rental market is what drove Michelle to apply to Habitat’s affordable homeownership program.

Moving into their affordable Habitat home will provide a sense of stability that could not be realized as renters for this small family. Because Habitat’s program ensures that our homeowner’s monthly payments will never exceed 30% of their income, Michelle’s family will not be subjected to market increases outside of their budget.
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Owning their own home will allow Michelle to put down roots and build a strong future for herself and her son. “Being a homeowner will give us a sense of stability in an extremely difficult housing market,” says Michelle. Knowing she will have a safe, affordable home for her son to learn and grow in provides her with a great deal of relief. “I am looking forward to having stability in housing. Being able to get into this market is great because I don’t think it’s very accessible to people anymore without the Habitat Program, especially single parents,” says Michelle.

Michelle's story highlights the ongoing challenge that many Greater Victoria families face in the current housing market. Habitat Victoria’s affordable housing program will give Michelle the opportunity to build a safe and stable future for her and her son.
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Please consider donating to support Habitat for Humanity Victoria's affordable homeownership program to provide safe and stable homes for families like Michelle's.