DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — Tonita Flowers couldn’t help but cry while walking through her new home.
The mother, and her 12-year-old son, will soon move into the brand-new Durham house she helped build with Habitat for Humanity.
“I’m just happy, so, so happy,” Flowers told NewsNation affiliate WNCN on Saturday.
Flowers said that after spending years working hard she was still not able to afford a suitable home for her and her son. Habitat for Humanity was the answer to her prayers, Flowers said.
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“Over the years, I’ve just encountered some horrific, nightmarish, housing experiences. Slumlords, people who charge you market value for rental properties that potentially need to be condemned,” Flowers said.
Flowers gathered with members of Habitat for Humanity, family, and community members as a friend from her church led the group in prayer, blessing the new home. Flowers told CBS 17 that she knew the house was meant for her during the first walk-through before agreeing to buy it.
“Realized the address was next door to a house that our church had volunteered to assist with construction, with Habitat. I knew that. I knew that I would be in fellowship and yes, that this would be great for us,” Flowers told CBS 17.
The house was built in partnership with Coastal Credit Union, which donated $100,000 to the Habitat project. Creighton Blackwell, chief community impact officer at Coastal Credit Union, told CBS 17 that while it was rewarding to see Flowers’s reaction, there’s still more work to be done.
“Now, there’s even more motivation to say, ‘What else can we do?’ to make this dream more accessible to so many more people, who are struggling during these affordable housing issues we’re having throughout our community today,” Blackwell said.
Flowers said that though her son is most excited to have his own bathroom, the home-taught chef said she’s thrilled about the new kitchen.
“Having the opportunity and the ability to prepare meals and food, I’m just so ready for it,” Flowers said.