Family Receives Keys to Habitat For Humanity Home in Menifee

Thursday was an especially exciting day for Carla Brown and her daughters -- Jennifer, Asia, Makala and Shayla Lamb. After a year of waiting and watching, one happy mother and her four daughters finally received the keys to their very own home right here in Menifee.

Over the course of the past year, the Inland Valley Habitat For Humanity has built eight homes in three local cities for families who qualified for the program.

What the house looked like before renovations.

At a small dedication ceremony on Aug. 26, each of the eight families were gifted with a home maintenance kit and a heartfelt blessing from Habitat For Humanity President Craig Evans.

Pastor David French opened the emotional evening by proclaiming, “These homes are a symbol of God’s loving care, each built by lots of loving hands.”

Smiles were ear to ear as the Brown/Lamb family proudly stood on the stage to receive official well wishes and congratulations from the Habitat team.

This family of five shared a residence with relatives until the house was foreclosed, leaving them essentially homeless. It was by the grace of fate that they were connected with Habitat For Humanity and quickly qualified to receive the Menifee home.

For the past year, they have been living in a tiny mobile home in Perris while they waited for their sprawling three-bedroom suburban home to be completed.

In talking with Brown, her excitement and emotion could be explained with one word: “Wow!”

She went on to eagerly paint a picture of the upcoming holidays, her new home full of friends and family and the opportunity to cook a feast in her very kitchen.

“What a life-changing blessing this has been,” said Brown.

Habitat For Humanity workers believe they are the lucky ones for having the chance to extend a helping hand. And so they continue their mission to facilitate the dream of home ownership, one beautifully renovated home at a time.