When Neoma Cox, a resident of the Nunavummiut capital, received a call that she and her daughters would soon be living in their own home, she was attending arbitration training in early July.
I started crying. It took me a while to come to my senses, it was so unreal
says the mother of three children.
She adds that the most emotional moment was when her daughters heard the good news.
I was really looking forward to telling them.
His daughters were with their father when it happened. After joining them there, Neoma Cox joined them there, she sat them down to talk to them.
The freedom to paint parts
Neoma Cox is a federal government employee and lives in staff housing. In their new home, her daughters will for the first time be able to paint their bedroom walls as they wish.
It’s really important. They are so happy to be able to choose the color they want.
Neoma Cox, 28, has been saving up to buy a house for several years, but she didn’t think she could do it until she was at least 30. So she applied to Habitat for Humanity in 2019.
« I never could have imagined that I could really be chosen. […] I often drove by the house, telling myself that one day it would be mine. »
Neoma Cox and her three daughters currently live in federal government housing.
Photo: Courtesy of Neoma Cox
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Tim Brown, president of Habitat for Humanity Iqaluit, says the year she applied, another person was selected. This person having finally found a more suitable dwelling, Neoma Cox was chosen.
The organization offers a zero interest mortgage to beneficiaries for a maximum term of 35 years.
Tim Brown says that the reaction of those selected is always rewarding: It’s always a great lesson in humility.
Partnership with a correctional healing center
The house is built with the support of several partners, explains Tim Brown, including the Correctional Services. For example, residents of the Qikiqtani Healing Center can follow a 14-week vocational training program in collaboration with a construction company.
Of the 10 graduates of the program, 6 are working on the future home of Neoma Cox.
Tim Brown says the goal is for the family to be able to move in by the fall.
While Neoma Cox is happy to get a house, she knows many people aren’t so lucky: There is a major housing shortage, not just in Iqaluit, but in Nunavut in general. Overcrowding is a real problem.
She says the territory needs more affordable housing because families may struggle to pay their rent or mortgage and groceries.
How can we build your life if we don’t have the means or if there is nothing for us?
With information from Sarah Krymalowski and Luke Carroll
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