Habitat for Humanity unveils forever home to family of NJ Army veteran
PERTH AMBOY, New Jersey (WABC) -- A U.S. Veteran and her family have a new forever home in New Jersey.
Greater Middlesex & Morris Habitat for Humanity held a ribbon cutting in Perth Amboy to unveil homes for two families.
The 40 students from Timothy Christian School in Piscataway who volunteered to help build the house were also at the ceremony.
"We all did it together. It was really, a bonding experience," Alyssa Marino said.
Former Army Medic Mylcaryz Dellossantos who spent nine years in the Army, her husband, Hilton, and three school-age children will be moving into their first-ever home.
The couple put in over 400 hours toward building their home through GMM Habitat's sweat equity requirement.
A second home dedication for a simultaneously constructed home was also unveiled for a three-generation civilian family of four.
The Velez-Comacho family, originally from the Dominican Republic, is a three-generation household and Grandma Juanita will have a bedroom all to herself for the first time.
"We thank the volunteers that helped us achieve this dream that my mother has had for 22 years," Penelope Velez-Camacho said.
The Velez-Comacho family also put in over 400 hours toward building their home through GMM Habitat's sweat equity requirement.
Both families received donated home furnishings and interior design services as part of the "George to the Rescue" national television program.
The Dellossantos family and the Velez-Comacho family have backyards that look onto each other and have become friends after spending a year helping each other and the Habitat for Humanity Volunteers build the first homes each family has owned.
"You help people realize that a home is more than walls and a roof it is a place of comfort, safety, and possibility," Mylcaryz Dellossantos said.
The Dellossantos were moved to the top of the organization's list for a new home, as more focus is being placed on making sure veterans can afford the American dream.
"When we gathered here a year ago for Veterans Build Week, I remember these two homes were just starting to take shape. And now we stand in front of these two homes as proof of what we can do when we do it together," Liz DeCourse GEO of GMM Habitat.
Habitat says they plan to build four homes for veterans and their families in 2025.
The work you do is nothing short of life-changing. You don't just build homes and you build hope," Dellossantos said.
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
