Arezki, Nathan, Yonatan, and Reny celebrate their homeownership journeys at their Habitat home dedications.
On Wednesday, May 14th, we celebrated the dedication of the first homes in Carolina Cove, our new HOA-managed Bonita Springs community. Carolina Cove is a 1.85-acre Habitat neighborhood with 14 affordable homes, consisting of seven attached twin villas.
“This is a new product for Habitat for Humanity,” Habitat of Lee and Hendry Counties CEO Becky Lucas said. “We created this neighborhood so we can maximize the land and serve as many families as possible.”
The last time people gathered on the property was for its land dedication in 2023, when Habitat staff and supporters were joined by board members and city officials. Now, we have dedicated the first three homes of this neighborhood to Homeowners Arezki, Nathan, Yonatan and Reny.
Arezki, a veterinary student, moved to Florida in 2021 in the hopes of having a better life. He was renting a room from a friend since then, always trying to save money for a place of his own. Since applying to Habitat’s affordable homeownership program in 2023, he views his new home as a stable foundation for his future. “It was an amazing experience for me,” Arezki said of the program. “We are one family, one community.”
Nathan, who occupies the other side of the twin villa, said the program taught him lessons he’ll carry for the rest of his life. “What you put in is what you’re going to get out of [it],” he said. “I took a lot away when it came to financial literacy.” He feels grateful to live in Bonita Springs, close to both his family and essential services.
“Habitat neighborhoods are built with intentionality,” Becky said. “We build all over the county, so families have the access they need to schools, work, [etc.], without driving across the county.”
Nathan looks forward to building a life for himself and his future family. “The room that I’m standing in will hopefully be a room for my [future] kids,” he said in his home on Wednesday.
While Nathan and Arezki view their home as stability to build upon for a future family, their neighbors, Yonatan and Reny, are experiencing a sense of relief.
Before partnering with Habitat, the couple and their children lived in a cramped apartment with plumbing issues and no access to a washer or dryer.
Now, they can now enjoy their spacious three-bedroom, two-bathroom home, complete with kitchen and laundry room appliances.
“I thank God for this great blessing,” Reny said at their home dedication.
These homes were made possible due to the generosity of The Nest Golf Club, Pelican Landing and the Colony, Sam and Nancy Scialabba and the Bonita Bay Community Association.
