A New Beginning

A New Beginning

The following quotes were conveyed through a translator and have been edited for clarity and accuracy.

After eight years of renting a small, aging house in Milwaukee, Lah Ku Htoo and Say Klo Wah are finally building a home of their own. It will be a safe, warm place where their five children can grow up with space and stability. 

“We’ve been renting for a while and want to have our own house,” Lah Ku said. “The kids want to have their own rooms. Where we rent is old. It’s an old house.”

Their current home’s heating system does not work, leaving the family trying to stay warm during cold winter nights. 

Some of the oldest housing stock in the city is in areas with the highest concentration of households earning less than $25k per year. Pricey repairs can put existing homeowners at risk of safety hazards or even worse, losing their home (Source).

A volunteer from Women Build, the sponsor of Lah Ku Htoo & Say Klo Wah’s home, building their home.

Now, by partnering with Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, Lah Ku Htoo & Say Klo Wah are building a brand-new home for their family. Inspired by friends and family who’ve purchased Habitat homes, they were excited to apply.

“A lot of people are joining the program already,” Lah Ku said. “It’s affordable and it’s new construction.”

Milwaukee Habitat breaks down the barriers to homeownership for local families earning below the median income. First-time buyers can build a 3-4 bedroom home for an average mortgage payment of less than $950 per month. 

Through Milwaukee Habitat’s Affordable Homeownership Program, future homeowners complete sweat equity hours, helping build their own homes and the homes of future neighbors or volunteering at a Habitat ReStore. Their children are so thrilled about their new home that they want to pitch in at the construction site.

“They are so happy that they want to help,” Lah Ku said. 

As Lah Ku Htoo and Say Klo Wah look forward to the opportunities their new home will provide, they reflect on their journey to Milwaukee. Before arriving in the United States, they lived in a refugee camp in Thailand, where their lives were far more restricted.

“There would be no opportunity for the kids. They cannot go outside,” Lah Ku said. “If they tried to go outside, the police would catch them and ask for money.” 

Their new house will be warm and sturdy with a yard where the children can safely play. Lah Ku Htoo & Say Klo Wah have dreams to finish the basement one day, creating even more space for their family.

Lah Ku Htoo and Say Klo Wah are building more than just a home; they are building a place where their family can grow, dream, and thrive together. Soon, they will move into this new home and call it their own.