Fresno Habitat for Humanity helps single father of four become a homeowner

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A key to new beginnings--

"It is finally here, the day is here, I got the keys to my house. My kids are going to spend their first night at home in their own beds. It's just it is a huge blessing," says Tajinder Dogra, Habitat for Humanity homeowner.

Tajinder Dogra and his four children are now in their forever home. Dogra went from serving time in jail and his children living in motel rooms to then working a minimum wage job so he can afford a cramped two-bedroom apartment before turning his life around. Dogra has now dedicated his life to service, working as a full-time councilor.

"Homeownership was going further and further away from me. Feeling like I was going above my means and living off of my credit and paying my credit, but when they told me that I got accepted for a habitat house, it brought the spark of homeownership back to me," says Dogra.

A standout among dozens of Habitat for Humanity applicants, Dogra was given the opportunity to pay for his home at an affordable price and help build it from the ground up spending at least 500 hours working on it with his own two hands.

"I picked the colors to the house, the trim, the flooring, the carpet, the countertops everything was my pick," says Dogra.

"We picked him because he was showing the commitment of being a homeowner and a strong homeowner for the future," says Ashley Hedemann, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Greater Fresno Area.

Little miracles along the way added the finishing touches like a $35,000 donation by the Fresno Association of Realtors and furniture provided by a local developer, The Alvarado Group. Local movers, Meathead Movers joined on the effort, and helped move the furniture into the home with an 80% discount.

Amid a national housing crisis, Ashley Hedemann CEO of Fresno's Habitat for Humanity says these victories are important now more than ever.

"We've seen such a tremendous increase in the housing market and the lack of affordable housing here and more specifically the lack of homeownership opportunities in the valley is decreasing and that's what Habitat is about and we're here to create those opportunities," says Hedemann.

This is the 167th home Habitat for Humanity has built in the greater Fresno area, this one step closer of their goal and mission to help members of the community become home owners and create generational wealth for many.

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