Even the prospect of months of hard work ahead of them isn't enough to keep the smiles off the Houston family's faces.
Cassandra Houston and her two children, Jessica, 18, and Anthony, 15, are the seventh family selected to build a home with the Habitat for Humanity Prince George Society.
"We were pretty happy," said Cassandra, who was at home with son Anthony when she received the call telling her the good news. "We had to mute the TV so we could hear everything. I told them I loved them."
Houston then rushed out tell Jessica the good news at work.
In the months ahead, Habitat will be starting the build at 1938 Juniper St. Like all Habitat families, the Houstons were selected on the basis of need for adequate housing, the ability to repay a zero interest long-term loan and a willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity.
Prince George residents since 1999, the family has made a number of moves since coming to the city and are looking forward to moving from their current home, where they are the lone occupants of a duplex on McIntyre Crescent.
"No one lives in the other side though, because it's trash," Jessica explained.
"The other side was trashed and then it got water damage," said Cassandra, adding her unit was supposedly redone, but they discovered the back wall and deck were rotten.
After making the top three in the pool of applicants last year, Houston made sure to send in another application.
Having their own home is a goal the family has been trying to regain, said Jessica.
"We went through a lot of family, personal stuff in the last two years and we're ready to get back and have our life renewed," Houston said.
Their new location will put them closer to Cassandra's job and it's also a short walk to the Connaught Youth Centre where Anthony is a member of the cadets. Jessica, a culinary arts student at the College of New Caledonia, will also have the opportunity to work downtown if she can find a job under a red seal chef.
Cassandra will meet with Habit for Humanity Wednesday morning to find out more particulars about the house and the build schedule, but she said her family are more than ready to put in the work.
Each family must contribute 500 hours of sweat equity, working alongside volunteers to build their home as well as helping out at the Habitat ReStore.
"I think it will mean a whole new start," Cassandra said. "You're starting in a place that has no stories, no bad and it just has what you bring into it."
