Mohamed and Muslima Amin received the keys to their new three-bedroom Habitat home on November 8, 2023, marking the tenth family to join the Field of Dreams community.
They each completed 225 hours of sweat equity, which serves as their down payment. Salt Lake Valley Habitat for Humanity provided a 30-year zero-interest mortgage, making their monthly payments less than rent. And their mortgage payments are reinvested in building our next Habitat home.
Muslima was born in Somalia during the civil war. She shared, “My earliest memories were constantly hearing gunshots, running from my house, and hiding in fear. We saw our family, friends, and neighbors being killed in front of us. The war made me an orphan and left me homeless." Muslima moved to Utah in 2005, where she attended school for the first time as a middle school student. “I experienced a culture shock. I didn’t know how to speak, write, or read in English.” She went on to marry, graduate college, and have a son. “Habitat for Humanity has given us the opportunity that we never thought we would have. We are so happy and excited to be a part of the community of Habitat homeowners. This home will be the place where we are able to grow our family."
The Amin Family was selected for the Habitat Homeownership Program in June 2023. Normally, it takes a family more than a year to complete their sweat equity hours; however, Mohamed and Muslina each completed 225 hours of sweat equity, including homeownership workshops, in record time by working on the construction site and in the Salt Lake ReStore - all in addition to working their full-time jobs. Sweat equity offers Habitat partner families a way to gain the knowledge and skills to be self-reliant in maintaining their own homes, having come from an environment where a landlord takes care of all the repairs.
Habitat Salt Lake staff maintain relationships with partner families throughout their mortgage period and often beyond. We look forward to seeing the Amin family thrive and watching their little boy grow up in a home he can call his own.
