A Dream Come True: Single Mother Receives New Home

In a heartwarming collaboration, Hand in Hand Ministries and Heritage Bank have once again made a family’s dream come true. Today, they handed over a new house to a single mother, allowing her to finally live under the same roof with her three children after five long years. The emotional moment brought tears to her eyes as she expressed her gratitude for the life-changing gift. News Five’s Marion Ali reports on this touching story of generosity and hope.

 

Rashshida Messam, New Homeowner

“I really appreciate you guys so much. Now I have a home fi me and my kids dehn. (Kids hug her)”

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

Rashshida Messam’s heartfelt “thank you” to Hand in Hand Ministries and Heritage Bank captures the joy of a single mother who can now live under the same roof with her three young children. After a challenging five-year journey, Messam received the keys to her new home today. She shared with News Five the struggles she overcame to reach this moment, making her new beginning even more meaningful.

 

Rashshida Messam

“Five years ago I was with my kids’ father and we had something, well – long story short, ih mi arite fi back then, but afterwards it went downhill. So, I had a friend that got a house from Hand in Hands and she encouraged me to go in. So I went in, I did their procedures and everything. And I hadn’t had the help to fill the land, but this time I got the help and it went through.”

 

Messam’s dream of a new home became a reality thanks to Hand in Hand Ministries. Shannon Stuart explained that Messam’s application was carefully reviewed, and after meeting all the requirements, she received helpful recommendations that led to her success. This thoughtful process ensured that Messam and her three children now have a place to call home.

 

Shannon Stuart, Social Worker, Hand in Hand Ministries

“We have quite a few people that applied for housing assistance each and every year. Okay. But we provided them with the three that we thought would fit the criteria that they were looking for, which was basically families that are in dire need of housing assistance. Once we were able to identify those families, we then started proceeded to start our process whereby we did our application process. Um, we conducted interviews. We went into the family’s homes just to get a better understanding of what their living conditions were. And we have a financial limit that you have to have a certain set – in terms of income in order to be qualified for one of our homes.”

 

Hand in Hand Ministries, with the help of past and future home recipients, builds homes for those in need. Once a recipient is chosen, recommendations are sent to the donor, Heritage Bank. At today’s handover, Managing Director Stephen Duncan proudly announced that this marks the bank’s twentieth home donation to a deserving family. This ongoing partnership continues to transform lives, one home at a time.

 

Stephen Duncan, Managing Director, Heritage Bank

“People are in need out there. They cannot necessarily wait to be able to save to build a house. They cannot wait for a cement house. They cannot wait for different reasons. These houses, for us, serve a very important purpose when people are able to move into their own home. They won’t have a mortgage to pay. So there is no cost to them in that context, and they’re able to start to live a normal life with their family again. It really makes a difference for people. And we have seen over the years that these houses have been able to withstand the test of time. For 20 years, Hand in Hand has been doing these houses. None fall down yet; none blow down yet.”

 

Today, a two-bedroom wooden house worth around twenty-five thousand dollars was donated, bringing immense relief to its new owner. The single mother shared the emotional toll of spending nights away from her children before receiving this life-changing gift. Her heartfelt words highlighted the profound impact of finally having a place to call home, where she and her children can be together under one roof.

 

Rashshida Messam

 “I could finally have my kids with me because they weren’t living with me; they were living with their father because of the living situation that I was in, which was – it was with my sister. We had like six of us in the house, just a two bedroom house. And we hadn’t had that much space to house them, so I had to leave them with their father. But now they can be with me, which I am very grateful for that I have my kids home with me in our home, our own space.”

 

The only person happier than Rashshida Messam today is her mom, who received her own home through Hand in Hand Ministries several years ago.

 

Marion Ali

“When you got yours, she was a kid playing in that house.”

 

Anna Pratt, Mother

“Yeah.”

 

Marion Ali

“Now she got her own.”

 

Anna Pratt

“Yeah, soh that me wa play eena fi she one now. (Laughs)”

 

Marion Ali for News Five.