EAST HELENA — Becoming a homeowner is a part of the American dream, and now that is a reality for six Helena area families, all thanks to hard work and determination.
For Sadie Hensler and her four daughters, Tuesday was an exciting day.
"It actually means the world to me,” said Hensler.
The family is moving into their first home, one they helped build.
Hensler says, "I didn’t ever think I was going to become a homeowner."
(Watch to hear from the new homeowners about what the process was like.)
It's even more meaningful when you learn everything this family has been through.
“I found out my husband's cancer came back and he passed away in November of 2018," said Hensler. "Then in 2021, I found out I had stage 3 cancer.”
Hensler may be a widow and a cancer survivor, but she’s not the only one in this neighborhood who’s overcome challenges.
So has Ryan Lehman – just three doors down.
“I am excited, I am nervous," Lehman said. "I want to cry, and I also want to jump up and down.”
Lehman is a single dad and has overcome addiction and homelessness in the past five years. The milestone of becoming a homeowner is the cherry on top.
"This is definitely not for the weak," Lehman said. "For 11 months, we have been helping build our own home.”
And so have all the other homeowners in this growing cul-de-sac.
Jacob Kuntz, the executive director for the Helena Area Habitat for Humanity, believes, "Every house we can sell to a homeowner is a building block in a community and into the life of the family that occupies it."
Habitat for Humanity officially cut the ribbons on six new homes on Tuesday, and the homeowners were given hammers representing their nearly 10 thousand hours of hard work.
The Helena Area Habitat for Humanity now has its eyes set on another project, a much bigger one.
By next year, empty farmland in East Helena will be transformed into 1500 homes.
Kuntz says, "Every home that we build matters, so one of the reasons we are going into the land development business is so that we can build enough homes to meet the huge demand that exists.”
Huge demand in a community that needs housing. Habitat says East Helena is the 2nd fastest growing community in Montana.
And one day soon, this area will also be home to amazing families like Henslers.
A mother who knows her husband is celebrating this day with her from high above - a day years in the making.
"He would be super proud just the fact that we made it this far in life,” said Hensler.
