More News

Standing outside her soon-to-be new home in Aspen Hill Thursday morning, Aida Weldeyohannes said she cannot believe she is about to become a homeowner after just three years of living in the United States.

Weldeyohannes' slice of the American dream is coming true thanks to Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County. The house on Jeffry Street is one of 12 vacant foreclosed homes the nonprofit organization has purchased and fixed up in Aspen Hill and Glenmont, two areas hit hard by foreclosures, as part of its Neighborhood Revitalization Program, said Molly Martin Pelzer, family services coordinator for Habitat for Humanity.

The Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs has supported the initiative by providing $3.5 million to help buy the houses.

Weldeyohannes and her family left Eritrea in East Africa because of rising political tensions. When they arrived in Rockville, they moved into a two-bedroom apartment.

The 37-year-old Rockville resident said she found out about the Neighborhood Revitalization Program from a friend who got a home through Habitat for Humanity a few years ago.

Weldeyohannes and her husband, Kahsay Kahsay, will go to settlement with Habitat for Humanity later this month. They hope to move in to the house by the end of the month or early November.

Pelzer said Habitat for Humanity hopes to have all 12 of its families moved in to their new homes by late March or early April.

With four bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, a front yard, a backyard and more, Weldeyohannes is thrilled that her daughters, ages 7, 6 and 3, will soon have plenty of space to play.

"They are kids — they want to run, to play, so they will be free to do that once we get this house," she said.

Weldeyohannes said she knows where all of her furniture will go and has picked out which bedroom will belong to her and her husband.

Volunteers and employees carried in appliances and installed tiles in one of the two bathrooms as she toured the house.

Pelzer said the Weldeyohannes family has devoted a lot of time and energy to fixing up the house, which had been neglected and did not meet county safety codes.

Renovations, which began in the spring, included installing a new air conditioning system, updating the duct work, refinishing the hardwood floors, installing new windows and insulation, building a deck and more, she said.

"The family has been really wonderful partners with us and seems to really appreciate the chance they're getting," Pelzer said.

Weldeyohannes said she is grateful to Habitat for Humanity for giving her family a chance to become homeowners.

"I want to thank everyone — the volunteers, Habitat and Montgomery County," she said. "We really appreciate this."