Habitat for Humanity gives family keys to new Sandwich Town home
The Kashindi family, who moved to Canada in 2017, are new homeowners after receiving keys to their Sandwich Town residence on Wednesday evening. (Robert Lothian/CTV Windsor News)
Habitat for Humanity handed over the keys to this Brock Street home to the Kashindi family on Wednesday.
A Kenyan family settled in Windsor began their journey of home ownership on Wednesday evening after receiving keys to their new Sandwich Town residence.
Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Essex provided the home to the Kashindi family after months of hard work.
Dieu Kashindi, whose parents received the house, said the family has rented various homes since moving to Canada in 2017.
'Just looking around and like, man, we finally have a place where you can call home,' Kashindi said.
'It's not a place that you're looking like, oh, the rent is due, [or the] landlord wants this. It's like it's a home where you can have memories, laughter, holidays and good things.'
052825 - Habitat
The Kashindi family, who moved to Canada in 2017, are new homeowners after receiving keys to their Sandwich Town residence on Wednesday evening. (Robert Lothian/CTV Windsor News)
Kashindi noted the Brock Street home will provide more stability for the family of eight.
'They have an environment where they can grow up, make friends, go to school they don't like switch schools or houses, and I'm excited for them, to be honest, because it's something that I didn't have that much when I was their age,' he said of his younger siblings.
To receive the home, the Kashindi's worked 500 hours of community service and will now pay a mortgage amount geared to their income.
According to Fiona Coughlin, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Essex, the Kashindi's home is their last build in Sandwich Town until they find more land.
'It's the last actual piece of land that Habitat for Humanity has in Windsor property. We do have plans to build out in the county, and that will be next year, but for the foreseeable future, we have no land left in Windsor,' Coughlin told CTV News.
The organization has revitalized several properties previously hampered by dilapidated vacant homes. Coughlin noted they had worked with the City of Windsor to purchase the properties for one dollar.
'If you drive down the streets where our houses are, you can see they just brighten up the whole street,' Coughlin added.
In the meantime, the Kashindi's will work to move into their new five-bedroom home.
'I can't describe any feeling better than this, to be honest,' Kashindi said.
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