Abdul Alaya and his six sons will no longer have to squeeze into a two-bedroom apartment each night.
After a 27-month long process, the family received keys to their newly remodeled home on Western Avenue today. The home was renovated through a program administered by Sacramento Habitat for Humanity.
"I've been waiting for this day," Alaya, 51, told a crowd of community members gathered on his driveway.
At the small dedication ceremony this morning, Alaya received numerous gifts and also cut a ceremonial ribbon before taking a tour of his new home.
"This wouldn't be possible without community support," Sacramento Habitat for Humanity CEO Ken Cross said.
Alaya, a former journalist and native of Syria, came to the United States in 1998 to study. He recently brought his children over in 2011 to escape the Syrian civil war.
"I'm happy today to get the house, but I'm sad at what's going on back home in Syria," Alaya said.
Sacramento City Council member Allen Warren applauded the housing program for restarting "the engines of our community."
Warren recalled growing up down the street in the Del Paso Heights neighborhood. He said the program was helping to revitalize an area particularly hard hit by foreclosures, crime and unemployment.
Hundreds of volunteers poured countless hours into rebuilding the house from scratch during the seven month construction period. Alaya had to put in 500 "sweat" or volunteer hours at other Habitat for Humanity projects to get the house.
The program is designed to get people on their feet and onto better job opportunities, Cross said. The home will cost $150,000, paid over 30 years with no interest. The Alaya family's home is the 92nd project sponsored by Sacramento Habitat for Humanity in 20 years.
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