04 Mar Time To Celebrate
It was a day to celebrate, as new homebuyers received the keys to the homes they built alongside their neighbors, volunteers and Kaua`i Habitat for Humanity staff. The three homes are just the latest additions to this phase of construction at the `Ele`ele Iluna subdivision, which will house a total of 125 Habitat homes once all construction is completed in the neighborhood.
The newest homebuyers Jenilee Robyn, Paula Bacio and Sonny & Amy Kaleiohi were excited to reach this tremendous milestone. When asked how it feels receiving keys to their new homes, the new homeowners commented that the reality of it hasn’t sunk in yet. “It hasn’t processed yet,” stated Jenilee Robyn. The Kaleiohi `ohana shared a similar sentiment when Amy was heard saying, “It feels good, but not real.” When Paula Bacio’s grandson Po`okela, who spent a good deal of time volunteering on the jobsite, was asked how he felt about his grandmothers accomplishment he said it best by simply replying, “Just so thankful.”
In light of safety concerns surrounding the pandemic, the new homebuyers signed their final paperwork in a scaled down event where they received the keys to their new homes as well as house warming gifts and congratulations by key Habitat staff that were involved in the construction of their new homes. Housewarming gifts included plants, original artwork provided by longtime volunteer Sandy Ambrose, and a variety of hats, T-shirts, gift certificates and gift cards provided by generous donors ReStore, Koloa Surf Co., and Grove Farms.
Many thanks to the County of Kauai Housing Agency funding through the Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME), who helped make this milestone possible for these families. Affordable mortgage loans are provided by the USDA Rural Development Section 502 Guaranteed Loan Program.
