But moving across the world was a big financial burden that was compounded by a global pandemic, which greatly affected Halley’s job at a Japanese travel company.

Both Halley and Niina took on extra jobs and moved houses several times in an attempt to keep their living costs low. When they heard about Habitat for Humanity and the possibility of owning a home, they were thrilled to give it a try.

Even after applying with Habitat, Halley and Niina weren’t sure they would be selected, since it’s a competitive program. So when they found out they had qualified to build and purchase their own Habitat home, they were both so happy, excited, relieved, and thankful!

“It’s a dream come true,” Halley said. “It’s been eight long years of wandering without having a place to lay roots. Owning a home means we don’t have to worry about whether we can stay where we are next year and we don’t have to give up living near my family.

Halley said that owning a home also means she and Niina “can truly start connecting to our community since we know it’s for the long haul. It also means little things like growing veggies since we’ll have the space and won’t be moving them, and just an overall feeling of security to try new things after finally settling down.”