TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — With Christmas just days away, five Southside families in Tucson received what many describe as the ultimate holiday gift: the keys to their first homes.
Habitat for Humanity Tucson held a home dedication Friday morning, welcoming families into newly built houses in its Rodeo subdivision. Cheers erupted as doors opened and families stepped inside, marking the end of a long and often challenging journey toward homeownership.
“Christmas came early for five Southside families,” as the celebration unfolded.
For Oleksii Karnaushenko, the moment was overwhelming. “I have no words right now… But it’s a big blessing for us,” he said as he entered his new home.
Habitat for Humanity provides affordable homeownership opportunities for low- to moderate-income families who are unable to qualify for traditional mortgages. Families apply to the program and commit to contributing hundreds of hours of labor — known as “sweat equity” — helping build their own homes and those of their future neighbors. Instead of a traditional mortgage, homeowners take on an affordable loan with no interest.
Charlie Buchanan, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Tucson, said that hands-on commitment is a critical part of the process. “250 hours of what we call sweat equity in the construction of their home and the homes of their neighbors,” Buchanan said. “They are very skilled, at this point, and ready to carry their homes forward.”
The length of time it takes to complete the program varies by family, depending on finances, construction schedules and other factors. For Ricardo Ochoa and his family, the journey took two years. “They told us about the program and it took us 2 years to go through it,” Ochoa said through a translator.
After years of renting, the stability of homeownership is what matters most to him. “After renting for all these years, we are happy to have something stable so that our kids are content and happy,” Ochoa said.
Ochoa’s family previously lived in an apartment and later a duplex. This Christmas, they will celebrate in a place of their own for the first time. “Now we finally got our big Christmas gift!” he said.
Habitat for Humanity Tucson has been building in the Rodeo subdivision as part of a larger effort to expand affordable housing options on the city’s Southside. The organization plans to eventually house 18 families in the neighborhood.
As the families carried boxes inside and began imagining future holidays under their own roofs, the dedication served as a reminder that for some, the season’s most meaningful gift isn’t found under a tree, but behind a front door they can finally call home.
——
Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
----
STAY IN TOUCH WITH US ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
