This summer, Christinea Ohse and her sons Keith (17) and Joseph (13), moved in with her parents. Her lease at the apartment complex was up, each parent had health issues, and the building of her Habitat home was on the horizon. A couple of months later, both families are ready for their own space. Christinea can't wait to help build her home on the spacious lot she's chosen on Mohawk Drive in Goshen.
Christinea had been aware of Habitat years ago, but a neighbor from the apartment complex built her Habitat home in '08, and referred Christinea to the program. Tired of apartment living and looking forward to her future home, she completed her sweat equity hours in near-record time. "My money is going into my own house, not making landlords rich. [The Habitat house] is something that will be manageable for me. I'm greatly appreciative and blessed to be chosen."
Christinea has worked for Kohl's for the last two years. She often works over night, changing ads in the store, but she also runs the register, the fitting rooms, and just about anything else.
Between work, Habitat, and getting the kids to where they need to be, Christinea sighs, "I don't have hobbies anymore." She does dream about the new house, though. She's looking forward to taking care of the yard, spending time with the kids and dogs, and hopes to have a bonfire ring out back. "We'll get a swing for the patio so we can sit there and swing in our golden years while the sun goes down," she smiles.
But the Habitat program is more than peaceful visions of retirement. Joseph pipes up. "It's awesome. Super awesome." Keith says, "I think it's amazing that we don't have to live in an apartment anymore with neighbors so close." For Christinea, "It's going to give me peace of mind to give my kids stability after almost 12 years for apartment living," she says. "I can do what I want to do without going through landlords. I will get to make decisions and choices about the house as it's being built. Having something brand new is an awesome feeling."
As for future plans for family members, Joseph hopes to be a cop. A junior in high school, Keith plans to look into colleges next year. But Christinea has something more immediate in mind. Though they haven't set a date yet, she and a coworker at Kohl's have decided to get married! "It's a long time since I've been this happy," she beams.
With a new home and a wedding in the future, we can all see why!