We can’t wait to have our parents out here. They are so proud. They couldn’t believe we were able to do this on our own. We are so proud and grateful.
Ramin and Pari RESIDENT, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
When young married couple Ramin and Pari moved into Common Ground Mellor Street, which is operated by Housing Choices, two and a half years ago, they had a dream.
Since emigrating from Iran in 2014, Ramin, 31 and Pari, 28, had lived in temporary accommodation. While Ramin found work at Mount Barker, Pari struggled to find employment, but while searching for work she became a volunteer with the Common Ground cooking group. Several months later the couple were successful in their application for housing at Mellor Street. Now safe inside their one-bedroom apartment, they finally felt secure enough to plan for their future and work towards fulfilling their dream. In July that dream became a reality. Ramin and Pari bought their first house at Flagstaff Hill. “We felt very safe at Common Ground Mellor Street”, Pari said. “Because we knew we had stable housing we were able to plan for the future. For us that was always going to be trying as hard as we could to buy our own home.” In early 2016 Pari gained work at Telstra. The pair saved “very hard” for a deposit and connected with Homestart Finance before finding “the perfect home”.
“On the day of settlement my husband took the day off work and I was working for the first part,” Pari said. “Ramin was so excited he rang me and I finished early. We got a call from the agent to say that the keys were ready and we went there straight away. We couldn’t wait. “I can’t describe the feeling,” Pari recalls. “Every weekend, from when we signed the contract until settlement, we would drive by and look at it from the outside. We would just sit and picture ourselves in it.” Pari said her favourite feature of her new home is the surrounding bush and views. “More than 50 per cent of the house is empty at the moment but we are happy with what we have. Getting some more furniture is our next plan,” she said. “We can’t wait to have our parents out here. They are so proud. They couldn’t believe we were able to do this on our own. We are so proud and grateful.”
48. Expanding Our Footprint - Annual Report 2016-17
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