Habitat for Humanity gives two Sanford families a chance to have a new place to call home

SANFORD, Fla. — Two families have a new place to call their own this Father’s Day weekend.

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Habitat for Humanity is making this possible- -- during a time of inflation and a tough housing market.

The Diaz and Morales families have struggled to afford their own homes for years.

Habitat for Humanity in Seminole and Apopka counties work to help with this problem daily.

Through that help, these families moved into their very own homes.

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Penny Seater, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Seminole-Apopka, said the housing market is getting more challenging for families.

“Here in Central Florida, but particularly in Seminole County and the Apopka area, there’s a real shortage of units -- whether they be rentals or first-time home buyers.”

What Seater described is just one of the issues the Diaz and Morales families have faced trying to buy their first homes.

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Keila Morales said raising her young daughter in their own house was always a dream, but financially understanding and affording that dream was an issue.

“It’s hard these days to get a house -- it’s hard,” she said. " The interest rates and everything is going high.”

Michael Diaz and his fiance also have young kids to raise but said paying rent while trying to save for a house was impossible.

“The rent is sky-high right now -- It’s way higher than a regular mortgage,” he said. " The houses right now are way too high for a house that’s not valued for that.”

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Habitat homeowners are a part of building their own houses.

They have to work a required number of sweat equity hours, and they also have to take financial classes.

“We want to set people up for long-term success,” Seater said. “= It really does help strengthen a community because you’ve got people who are very committed and bought in to homeownership.”

These houses aren’t free; the families do pay an affordable mortgage that costs about the average rent for that area.

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Video: Habitat for Humanity gives two Sanford families a chance to have a new place to call home Two families have a new place to call their own this Father's Day weekend.

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