Winnipeg family grateful for new home

A Winnipeg single mother of three willbecome ahomeowner for the first time on Thursday.

Michelle Ryynanen received the home through the Build Hope project, an initiative on behalf of the University of Manitoba's faculty of health sciences, Habitat for Humanity andtheTachaneFoundation, an organization that supports aboriginal education.

Ryynanen will be able to move into the Laura Street house on Dec. 19.

"To see everything coming together, it's so real. I want to thank everyone who has made this possible for me and my family," said Ryynanen. "When I became a mother at 15 I didn't think in 15 years I'd have the opportunity to be a homeowner."

More than 100volunteers builtthe 864-square-foot exterior of the home at the University of Manitoba'sBannatyne Campus. The project took 10days and included staff, students, instructors and faculty members.

After taking a walk through her new home,Ryynanen said, "it's a dream come true to provide stability for my kids."

She will be in the home just in time for the holiday season, and says she's looking forward to having a tree and her first Christmas dinner there.