Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

By TOM SCHARDIN
Savage Pacer

September 23, 2006

The days of living in cramped quarters with inadequate amenities will soon be a thing of the past for the Good and Ghebrekrustos families. Both families are anxiously waiting a move into their new homes on 124th street in downtown Savage, courtesy of Habitat for Humanity. First, there’s an Oct. 21 dedication for the homes; then, shortly after, the two families will get to feel what it’s like to stretch their legs in a home that will better accommodate them. “I’m so excited, really excited,” said Fathia Good. “The kids can’t wait. It’s so amazing. I could say ‘thank you’ to Habitat for Humanity a million times and it wouldn’t be enough.”

“My kids are so excited to have their own room,” said Asmeron Ghebrekrustos. “It’s going to be a great new experience for us.”

Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization that provides low-income families decent homes to live in. It has built more than 600 homes since 1985.

For Ghebrekrustos, he’s never had his own home to live in since emigrating from Eritrea in Africa in 1982. He has a large family. His wife, Luchia Hibtizghi, three kids and mother are all crammed into a two-bedroom apartment in St. Paul.

Ghebrekrustos has worked as a floor finisher for Fairview Riverside Medical Center since 1991. He returned to Eritrea in 1995 when he wed his wife. He said it was an arranged marriage by his family, who knew his wife, yet he didn’t. Hibtizghi joined Ghebrekrustos in the U.S. in 1996, and his mother escaped the poverty stricken country last year to join her son in Minnesota.

So, as the family grows and the children get older, the need for more space is evident. Ghebrekrustos’ children are 10, 8 and 2 years old.

“Coming to this country was a great opportunity for me,” said Ghebrekrustos, 52. “I was single when I came here. I moved a lot. I lived in a lot of small apartments. But that was OK when you are single for a long time. But now, it’s tougher to live that way with a family.”

Ghebrekrustos said he’s excited for his children to attend school in Savage. His commute to work will be a little longer – 25 miles compared to less than 10. But he’ll take the tradeoff any time.

“This will be a good new start for my family,” said Ghebrekrustos. “We feel very fortunate for this.”

Good’s family is the same size as Ghebrekrustos’. She has three children: ages 16, 11 and 2, as well as her mother and sister staying with her in a tiny two bedroom apartment in East St. Paul.

Good, 35, came to the U.S. from Somalia 12 years ago. She’s worked at Sam’s Club in Bloomington for seven years. She came to Minnesota in 1997 after living in San Diego and San Jose, Calif., and in Colorado.

“The apartment we are living in now is not in good condition,” said Good. “My two older kids have developed asthma from living in the different apartments. We’ve had flooding that’s never fixed, and so many problems. We’ve had to move from bad areas. But we can’t afford anything else. It’s always so expensive. That’s why we feel so lucky. My kids will have good schools and their own rooms. It will be a better life.”

Good was a model of persistency in connecting with Habitat for Humanity. The first two times she applied she was told she didn’t qualify. The third time, she did. But the new home was in Hastings and the commute to her job was far too long with three children.

So Good turned that house down and was told she would have to go back through the application process and couldn’t apply again for two years. And there was no guarantee she would get a second home. Good took that chance. She applied again two years later, in 2005, but was denied. She applied again shortly after and the Savage home was hers.

Good also was blessed in 2004 when her mother and sister arrived from Somalia. It took four years, as Good applied to be their sponsor in America in 2000. “I was so happy when they finally were able to come,” said Good. “But my father is still there.”

Perhaps, in the future, Good’s father will be able to join her and her family in her new home, which will have three bedrooms, ample living space and a two car garage.

“My kids have never had individual rooms and are ecstatic to experience it,” said Good. “We are so excited. We can’t wait to move.”

Tom Schardin can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .