After years of living in Grande Prairie, Angela Osipow and her son, Cobis Smith can now say they live in a home. The two moved into a new home created by Habitat for Humanity Edmonton and were officially welcomed by members of the organization and community today.
“It’s like nothing else we’ve ever experienced. We’ve never had an opportunity to own our own home. It’s unbelievable. I can’t even describe how good it feels. We can now save money for my son’s education and other things. We were living in different apartments in not the best areas before this and we didn’t have any extra money,” Osipow says.
Osipow first heard about the possibility of applying for a home in Grande Prairie through the Grande Spirit Foundation.
“It took about two years for everything to go through. There were a few snags but they got everything figured out and eventually, we were able to move in,” she says.
Ever since the dream started to become a reality, the mother and her son say they have felt nothing but kindness and support from everyone involved in the project.
“Everyone did an amazing job to get us in here. The house is so great and the homebuilders have been great too. Brendan has been so helpful. Anytime I call with an issue, he just comes over to fix it for us.”
When asked what his favourite part of the new home was, Angela’s son Cobis said “I have a lot of room.”
“We’re safe here. We feel safe,” Osipow adds.
Habitat for Humanity has now created homes for more than 790 families across northern Alberta. The homes built in Grande Prairie are made possible by their partnership with the Government of Alberta, the City of Grande Prairie, the Government of Canada, and KCM Construction.