KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- A special dedication was held with the Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity on Sunday, which is a non-profit organization that helps those in the area find a place to call home.
"I do feel like it's a blessing and I’m excited,” said Christina Gallardo of Kalamazoo, who will be receiving the home.
Gallardo and her daughter plan to move into the home in the next couple of weeks. The family is the 205th family Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity has helped find a home for.
"It changes their whole life. It's a proven fact that providing safe, healthy home for families, “said Sylvia Denning, director of homeowner services with Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity. "[It] gives them stability; children do better on their homework, [and it’s] a place to bring their friends. It's just better all-around quality of life to live in a healthy and safe home."
The house has two bedrooms with almost everything brand new. It has upgraded windows and ultra-efficient appliances, which should allow the family to save thousands of dollars in energy costs over the years.
"I’m ready to see what my bill will be like compared to what it is now,” the new homeowner said.
Lots of hard work was done to make this happen. It took hundreds of volunteers, along with the hours of completed coursework for Gallardo, who also had a hand in completing the home.
"Working on the house and learning how to do things on my own was a good experience for me, because I would have never thought I could do half the things with Habitat in building and learning how to fix things,” Gallardo said. "It’s going to be my own, something I can call my own. I won't be renting, I will paying for something to be mine eventually, and that's exciting for me."
"She knows how to do minor furnace repair, plumbing, electricity, minor door repair, floor repair, they taught her A-to-Z in home maintenance,” Denning added.
Habitat builds or rehabilitates four to five homes a year and provides repairs in Kalamazoo County as well as the cities of Otsego and Plainwell, and Gun Plain and Otsego townships.
