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Abdosh Osman gave his first house party Jan. 12 for more than 500 close friends, some of whom he had never met.
Osman was one of eight families that welcomed the volunteers and donor organizations into their new Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity (TCHFH) townhomes.
The recently completed eight-plex townhomes near Ramsey Town Center are nearly ready to move in, once the soon-to-be homeowners sign their low interest mortgages.
This is about celebrating families who had hopes and dreams of a having safe homes, said Karin O'Connor, TCHFH dedication committee.
It is about celebrating that dream and the hard work the families put in to be at this place, she said.
The volunteers and donors came together and donated 36,000 hours to build these homes, said David Jeffrey, Ramsey Housing and Redevelopment Authority vice chairman.
According to TCHFH, the families put 400 hours of sweat equity into their new homes, working side by side with the volunteers.
This will give his family a chance for a better life, better schools and a safe environment, said Ahmed Osman.
Osman is looking forward to moving with his wife and four children, ages 2-8, to Ramsey.
Right now they are living in a home where the boiler does not work, there are leaky windows and skyrocketing rent, said Osman, who emigrated from the United Arab Emirates.
"In winter we pay more for energy and still freeze," he said.
For his family, the summers are just as bad.
They cannot install air conditioning because it would violate fire codes, Osman said.
Osman thanked the many volunteers and donors, like Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Wells Fargo and city of Ramsey for helping his family move.
Inna Levchenko, 17, spoke for her family at the Saturday home dedication.
"I want to thank God and TCHFH for this opportunity, It will allow us to do more," she said.
Her parents, Nikolay and Svetlana, emigrated from the Ukraine with her and her now 15-year-old brother, Bogdan, in 1993.
The family, which includes a total of six children, ages 4-17, will be moving from a Blaine townhome to Ramsey.
Levchenko said she helped hang siding and mom Svetlana helped with the painting and hanging sheetrock and siding.
At first she was scared because she had never done anything like it before, said Svetlana, with her daughter translating the questions.
Although she had help build things in the Ukraine, this was different, she said.
Svetlana Levchenko enjoyed the experience so much she wants to help with the two additional eight-plexes that TCHFH is planning in the neighborhood in 2008 and 2009.
Each unit is valued at more than $200,000 and has three or four bedrooms.
"We want to make affordable housing for everyone," said O'Connor.
Great things are happening in this community and this is just the beginning of an exciting project, according Nancy Schuelke, Wells Fargo community banking president.
By Tammy Sakry
Anoka County Union
January 16, 2008
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