MOBILE, Alabama (WALA) – A local woman has fulfilled her lifelong dream and purchased her own home.
Less than a decade after immigrating to the United States, Fatima Naher received the keys to her new home in the Hillsdale area.
Fatima Naher holds the keys to her new home and her future thanks to Habitat for Humanity, a global nonprofit that builds homes for low-income families.
“When you see someone who is coming here to have a better life and is willing to work hard like anyone else to achieve that dream, you know we want to be a part of that,” said Courtney Rouse-Heinz, executive director of Habitat for Humanity. She says her goal is to help people, not give handouts.
“Our homes are not a gift – you have to take out a mortgage for them, you have to pay for them, you have to work hard for hours – so like I said, she was out here laying sod next to us,” Rouse-Heinz said. “We usually do volunteer building, but we’re trying to get these homes done a little faster, so we subcontracted that out to Heritage Homes – so they did the actual house building, we did the prep work where we cleared the lots and got everything ready for the concrete.”
Naher was born in Iraq and moved to Jordan before immigrating to the United States. She is a single mother who works full-time for Amazon. Naher may not yet be fluent in English, but the smile on her face says more than words can.
“I am so, so, so happy. Today is – too happy,” said Naher.
Your house is ready to move into.
“It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms – it’s about 1200 square feet. As you saw from the outside, it’s a brick house, so it’s a nice, safe, affordable and decent home,” said
Air Force veteran Keith McCall was in Naher’s situation just two years ago when he received his own home. He attended the ceremony and continues to attend each of these ceremonies.
“Fatima is a worthy participant and was taken in by Habitat for Humanity just like I was. They show love to everyone – my build was what they called an interfaith build, so all faiths came together to help me in my quest to own a home. Thank you Habitat for Humanity, thank you very much,” he said.
The new home in the Hillsdale community is one of six Habitat for Humanity homes currently under construction. The project was funded primarily by Publix and the American Rescue Plan Act, as well as other donors and volunteers.
This is the second home the nonprofit organization has inaugurated this year.
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