{"id":23503,"date":"2021-01-29T13:19:07","date_gmt":"2021-01-29T21:19:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/habitatportlandmetro.org\/?p=23503"},"modified":"2021-01-29T13:19:07","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T21:19:07","slug":"abdis-journey-to-stability-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/habitatportlandregion.org\/abdis-journey-to-stability-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Abdi\u2019s Journey to Stability"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/span>
\nHabitat homeowner Abdi\u2019s sto<\/span>ry\u00a0<\/span>begins 9,000 miles away<\/span>\u00a0from<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Oregon\u00a0<\/span>in Jilib, a small town in souther<\/span>n<\/span>\u00a0Somalia<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>His journey<\/span>\u00a0centers\u00a0<\/span>on the grit, courage, and vision of someone who worked hard, saved deliberately, and reached higher. This is the story of\u00a0<\/span>Abdi<\/span>, a Habitat homeowner living in the\u00a0<\/span>Helensview<\/span>\u00a0Community o<\/span>n\u00a0<\/span>NE Killingsworth<\/span>\u00a0Street<\/span>\u00a0in\u00a0<\/span>Portland<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nHaving grown up in the midst of striking poverty and civil war,\u00a0<\/span>Abdi learned early how precious and rare the comfort of stability was.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nAs a teenager he applied himself<\/span>, worked hard, and graduated from high school in 1984. Afterwards, he quickly fulfilled his\u00a0<\/span>two<\/span>\u00a0years of state-required military service. It was from this experience that he realized the opportunity of living and working in a bigger city\u2014so after his service, he found a good job working in an office in Mogadishu, the capitol.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nAt this point, he says things were going well; he was making a good living, had friends and family nearby, and was looking forward to a bright future. Unfortunately, circumstances beyond his control would make sure that wouldn\u2019t last. One of the worst civil wars\u00a0<\/span>in a\u00a0<\/span>century<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>broke<\/span>\u00a0out and Somalia began to be recognized\u00a0<\/span>globally\u00a0<\/span>as\u00a0<\/span>a\u00a0<\/span>failed state<\/span>, as the nation\u2019s governing body lost both legitimacy and effectiveness<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0Along with the 1.1 million other Somalis who fled to escape violence and infamous strings of genocide, Abdi\u00a0<\/span>fled<\/span>\u00a0to neighboring Kenya, where he began a new life.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nAbdi was determined and resourceful. He quickly found work and established himself in Mombasa, a coastal city in Kenya along the Indian Ocean. There, he would live for over a decade and work in markets selling clothing and garments. It was during this time that he met his future wife, Maryan<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and had their first child, a girl.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nIt was the motivation of her birth, along with the opportunity of Maryan\u2019s family being granted asylum in the United States<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0which motivated Abdi to make a better life for himself here. Soon he began the long and arduous process of applying for asylum for him<\/span>self<\/span>\u00a0and his family.\u00a0<\/span>H<\/span>e remembers thinking of the difficulty in relocating again. But he took the chance and overcame the fear, because, as he says, \u201cIn America, you will always have a chance.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nFour years of waiting, and three years of separation from his wife who had been granted asylum and living\u00a0<\/span>in the States<\/span>, he finally received word that he had been given refugee status.\u00a0<\/span>Soon,\u00a0<\/span>h<\/span>e\u00a0<\/span>was on<\/span>\u00a0his way to Portland, Oregon<\/span>—<\/span>an unfamiliar city a world<\/span>\u00a0far<\/span>\u00a0away from his known life. Upon arrival, he\u00a0<\/span>partnered with<\/span>\u00a0IRCO and Lutheran Charities\u00a0<\/span>to gain<\/span>\u00a0job training, English classes, and driving lessons. After a couple years of working temp jobs, he began\u00a0<\/span>a new career as<\/span>\u00a0a parking manager at City Center Parking<\/span>\u00a0w<\/span>here he\u2019s worked<\/span>\u00a0for over a decade.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nFor a moment<\/span>, life settle<\/span>d<\/span>\u00a0for Abdi. He and his wife\u00a0<\/span>welcomed two more children, a boy and a girl. His job was going\u00a0<\/span>well<\/span>\u00a0and his family was content. Unfortunately, his living conditions were not. Raising a family on his salary didn\u2019t allow them to save much, nor did it enable them to rent\u00a0<\/span>an<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>apartment<\/span>\u00a0that suited his family\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>needs.<\/span>\u00a0They stayed in the same apartment for 15 years, though, because the rent was low enough to provide for his family. But the conditions were anything but safe.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe apartment\u00a0<\/span>building<\/span>\u00a0they lived in was located in the Hollywood district, close to the freeway. It had old carpets and paint, and soon they all developed allergies and his son began experiencing severe asthma. In the winter it was cold and\u00a0<\/span>drafty; in<\/span>\u00a0the summer, it was hot and stuffy. For years, he worried about the unclean conditions inside and the crime outside. Yet, he couldn\u2019t leave, between moving fees and high rents,\u00a0<\/span>they\u00a0<\/span>couldn\u2019t afford\u00a0<\/span>anywhere else<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nBut in 2015, he saw a neighbor packing their belongings\u2014they had purchased a<\/span>\u00a0home through<\/span>\u00a0Habitat\u00a0<\/span>for Humanity\u00a0<\/span>and were gone for good. That\u2019s when the light turned on in his head<\/span>\u2014 \u201c<\/span>The only way to own a house, to really change our lives, was Habitat.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0That\u2019s when Abdi made the determination that he would own his own home.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nAfter two years of wo<\/span>rking on their credit and saving\u00a0<\/span>money, Abdi<\/span>\u00a0and Maryan\u00a0<\/span>were finally approved to purchase their own<\/span>\u00a0home<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>through\u00a0<\/span>Habitat<\/span>. Speaking as if it were yesterday, Abdi recalls<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>precisely<\/span>, \u201cIt was Friday, December 15<\/span>th<\/span>, around noon. I remember the sun was shining when I got the call. A voice on the phone: \u2018Congratulations, you\u2019ve been accepted<\/span>.<\/span>\u2019<\/span>\u00a0I jumped up and down and people at work asked me what happened? And I screamed, I am going to own my own house!\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nFastforward two years and Abdi recalls fondly the community spirit he felt on the\u00a0<\/span>construction<\/span>\u00a0site\u00a0<\/span>building his home alongside fellow homeowners and volunteers<\/span>. But it was the future he most enjoys talking about.\u00a0<\/span>When asked about the best part of owning his own home, he says\u00a0<\/span>stability–<\/span>not for him, but for his children. He thanks God that they won\u2019t have to flee<\/span>\u00a0violence<\/span>\u00a0or feel unsafe<\/span>\u00a0like he did<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>We\u00a0<\/span>have good neighbors, a nice community, and people I trust and know<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0he says, proudly.<\/span>\u00a0He sees that has a gift in and of itself.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nSumming up his Habitat experience, he says that his home is \u201can opportunity that will allow me to give to my children. My dream isn\u2019t about me anymore, it\u2019s all for them.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\n
\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Abdi\u2019s story begins 9,000 miles away in war-torn Somalia. Through self-determination and sacrifice, his lifelong commitment to stability for his family…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":23551,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homeowner-story","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAbdi\u2019s Journey to Stability - Habitat Portland Region<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/habitatportlandregion.org\/abdis-journey-to-stability-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Abdi\u2019s Journey to Stability - Habitat Portland Region\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Abdi\u2019s story begins 9,000 miles away in war-torn Somalia. 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