SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Two families in need this year in this year each got two keys to their homes in South Sacramento thanks to Habitat for Humanity just in time for the holidays.
At the end of a long street packed with construction, as home after home are still in the works, Ahmad Wali Yusufi is celebrating a day his family has waited for a lifetime.
“December 18 was the day that we got our key in the U.S.," Yusufi said.
With four kids under the age of 12, Yusufi and his wife came to the U.S. five years ago, just barely escaping the Taliban, after working for the U.S. military in Afghanistan.
“The house that we are living in now, it’s like overcrowded and it was like in two bedrooms and honestly it was a little bit difficult for us," Yusufi said.
With Saturday's snip of the ribbon, that’s a thing of the past, as each member of the family now has their own room.
"It was good day because we could not afford a house just like this," Mohammad Yusufi, one of his four kids said.
Because, as Habitat for Humanity likes to say, it takes a community to build a community.
“These homes behind me, two incredible families who are purchasing their affordable home with a 30 year fixed rate affordable mortgage after putting in 500 hours of sweat equity to build their home and this entire community of 13 homes around us," said Leah Miller, the President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento.
READ MORE: Black filmmaker's 1st feature shot in Sacramento selected in multiple film festivals nationwide
Sen. Dr. Richard Pan, who was able to get $750,000 from the state to close the gap and get this project to the finish line says for the Yusufi family, this was the least they could do.
"They left everything behind when they came here," Pan said. "We need to do much more but this is certainly a shining example of what we can try to do to help families succeed here in Sacramento, and they’ve given so much to our country over there in Afghanistan, we need to help them out."
Planning to move in within the next week, making for a Christmas gift of a lifetime.
"It’s a good new year, new house, new future," Yusufi said.
The families selected to move in to this neighborhood on Saturday, through Habitat for Humanity, were selected amongst a pool of 1,500 families who submitted pre-applications for these homes earlier this year.
Click here if you are interested in helping to volunteer for future Habitat for Humanity projects.
