Holiday Surprise: Single mom gets keys to dream home in time for Christmas

By Brooks Baptiste

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    STOCKBRIDGE, Georgia (WGCL) — A Stockbridge family got quite the surprise Tuesday after receiving the keys to their brand-new home.

Shaneeka said she was excited to pull into the driveway of her abode, but stunned when realizing it had been fully furnished and decorated.

“Oh my goodness, I love it,” Shaneeka said. “Everything I want is here.”

The single mom of three has always dreamt of becoming a homeowner, but the barriers created by a down payment were too great to overcome.

“We always shared a home and we never had our own,” she said.

For the last two decades, Warrick Dunn Charities has worked to help single parents achieve their goal of first-time homeownership through its Homes for the Holidays program.

“Working on this program has really been more about how we can help position families to enjoy their holiday season, to enjoy the fruits of their labor,” Dunn said. “They’ve worked for it; we just want to be able to support them and push them forward.”

While the new home was earned and financed through Habitat for Humanity, Shaneeka was surprised with a $5,000 down-payment assistance check from Warrick Dunn Charities and $10,000 worth of furnishings from Aaron’s.

With tears in her eyes, Shaneeka said she’s glad to know her family is no longer forced to share the same common space.

“We [were] living in the same bed and now they have they own space,” she said. “They can do they own thing.”

She said she’s thankful that what once filled her vision board is now before her eyes.

“This is nothing but God, this is not my doing,” Shaneeka said. “I’ve just been praying, and he answered my prayer.”

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