hamza & Abdulazize

A room, no larger than a small office, houses four mats, four pillows, and a TV on a stand. Abdulazize, his father Hamza and two younger brothers share these four walls, which hold all of their possessions. “It’s a room to sleep,” Abdulazize says. The family of four, all boys, shares a one bedroom within a friend’s four-bedroom home.

When the family first moved to Minneapolis in 2007, they lived in a one bedroom apartment provided through public housing; unfortunately, the program was only available to the family for two years, leaving them nearly homeless in 2009. Luckily, a friend of the family extended the invite for the boys to move in, though they’d still be forced to share a bedroom.

It wasn’t until Abdulazize’s childhood friend, a Habitat homeowner himself, mentioned the idea of applying for a home. Now with only two homeowner classes left and over 300 volunteers hours finished, Abdulazize and his family are only a few months away from being proud homeowners of a four bedroom house. “I can’t describe my feelings when I heard we were getting a home.” When asked if they were each looking forward to their own room, the men all enthusiastically shook their heads “yes” in unison.

“Growing up in Ethiopia, we were always told American life is the best. Since we moved here, life has been very busy with work and school. But when we qualified for a Habitat house, it was like wow, this is the best.”

The family is looking forward to neighborhood parks and playing soccer, their favorite pastime. In addition, they’re excited to join the Muslim community in North Minneapolis, and they have already found a mosque they are interested in joining.

All four men have learned a lot of things from Habitat, and they are excited to continue volunteering. Of course, they’re most excited to move into their new home. “Habitat has already taught me so much. It’s a great charity, a great community. We feel a part of that community, and soon, we’ll be part of a new neighborhood, thanks to Habitat.”