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A crowd of Mary Yasano's family and friends crammed into the living room of her new home at 2509 Templeton St. to clap, dance and sing.
The sounds of the traditional Sudanese celebration reverberated through the street. Yasano was a homeowner.
On Sunday, the 35-year-old mother of six and five other families dedicated their new or refurbished homes constructed by Habitat for Humanity of Omaha.
As her crowd chatted indoors, Yasano stood on her porch in the frigid air to talk about the new place; how its extra space would present a big change from the family's cramped three-room apartment on Spencer Street, and her plans to move in next week.
Yasano fled to Egypt from the horrors of southern Sudan before arriving in the United States in 2003. She works at the Tyson Foods plant in Council Bluffs and cares for her six children — ages 1 to 18 years — alone.
“I was so happy,” she said of getting the word that she was selected.
Habitat for Humanity will dedicate nine homes in November and is on track to build or renovate a chapter-record 25 homes in 2009, said Amanda Brewer, the chapter's executive director.
Candidates for the Habitat homes are selected based on need, credit and ability to pay monthly mortgage payments on no-interest loans they obtain to purchase the volunteer-built houses.
LaLeather Tolbert and her six children also celebrated their new digs on Sunday. Tolbert applied for a Habitat home once before, but said her application was denied.
“I told myself I was gonna keep trying until they accepted,” she said. Now, the family will move into their five-bed, two-bath house at 5312 N. 34th St. a couple of days before Thanksgiving.
“I'm so anxious to get there,” Tolbert said.
Chapter officials said Omaha's Habitat for Humanity effort has thrived, and even grown, amid a deep recession that has crippled the U.S. housing market. The chapter completed 21 homes in 2007 and 22 in 2008 and hopes to build or renovate 30 residences in 2009, Brewer said.
The organization aims to serve people whose income falls between a quarter to a half of the city's median income. Approved families must contribute 350 hours of labor to their home's construction, along with a $500 down payment.
Ciera, one of Tolbert's daughters, said it was tough to wake up at 8 a.m. during summer vacation to help build the family's first house. Sweating in the August heat wasn't easy, she said, but it was worth the effort.
Now, family members have staked out bedrooms and have started discussions on paint colors.
“It feels like a dream come true,” Tolbert said.
“An American dream,” Ciera added.
Contact the writer:
444-1068, johnny.perez@owh.com
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