Ryan and Sara's Journal: Page 1

 READ RYAN'S MOST RECENT ADDITION

(Submitted March 8th, 2007)

Once you have found the one who loves you back, all the aspiration conversations of your budding life together start to manifest. Like any couple Sara and I have many aspirations, both individual and for the greater good. One of our biggest goals was to say goodbye to tyrannical landlords and acquire our very own home for the family that we hope to eventually have. However, owning our own house seemed like a distant, somewhat unobtainable goal because of our low income due to our disabilities. One option was to play the lottery and with eagerness we purchased a Kinsmen Dream Home ticket. We were skeptical, but like anybody else who plays the lotto for a house we had already moved in and unpacked in our inner psyche.

Optimistically, we entertained the idea of going to the bank to acquire a mortgage that would suite our needs. Luckily we were approved, but only for $100,000.00 and this would just get us a fixer-upper without the necessary accessible accommodation—this simply would not do because of the high costs associated with accessible home modification and fixing up a fixer-upper. We had determined that a house would need to sit on the back burner until a feasible alternative came along.

However, at this time we had also been told by the owner of the condominium that we rented that she needed to sell the condo within a year for financial reasons. Early I said that my landlord was a tyrant. Well, I was just kidding! My mother is the owner of the condo that we rent and as such she is also the landlord—sorry mom! She needed to sell because our monthly rent could not sustain the monthly cost associated with actually operating the condo and my mother was running at a loss. It was decided that we would eventually need to move.

During the three year span in which above events were staged we had thrown around the idea of applying for the Habitat for Humanity homeownership program, and each time we came closer to actually submitting an application. But, it wasn’t until it was decided that we had to move that we actually decided to apply. You may ask why we didn’t do it sooner, but there is no real decisive answer, just different reasons. In the beginning we felt that there were other people in greater need and that it was too much charity for us. However, as each successive event brought us closer we could see that it was not so much charity, but an opportunity to level the playing field. We would still pay a mortgage like everyone else who owns a house, have a hand in actually building it, cut out profiteering financial institutions thus redirecting revenue generated from our mortgage to help others in need.

Once we actually had the application in our hands we were slightly intimidated by the length of it.

It seemed like a daunting application process—it would take us forever to get HFH to say yes! Well, HFH could have said no, but as we built our case, we felt confident that we had a good chance. Now, I’ll admit that I can be a plan-aholic and there are lots of times when this trait comes in handy. It just so happens that this was on those times. Luckily Sara is a bit more spontaneous then I am and so she evens me out. She admits that if the application process were left up to her, it may not have ever got done. We both understood why the process needs to be the way that it is, but nonetheless it seemed as though it would take forever.

(Submitted 28 April 2007)

So with mighty pen in hand we placed our signatures upon destinies parchment and eagerly awaited the home ownership information session at which point we would submit our application. Initial contact to Habitat Kingston was made via e-mail of which received a speedy reply by none other than Sandra Berg, the fabulous executive director of Habitat Kingston. After review of the application, Sara and I felt that a few things may act as a possible hindrance to our application.

Even though there was a line item in the application indicating a couple would be considered for homeownership, we were skeptical that we would even be considered as a partner family because of our family size. We felt that we might be able to trump this issue because although our current family size was two, we are planning to upsize. In the mean time, there were also my personal care attendants, one of which was always around. So in essence there would need to be space for three, until the fourth came along. Our two bedroom apartment barely had enough room for two!

Our other concern was with respect to our income. Our income was also slightly higher than the maximum allowable amount, but in our application I made certain to make note that this overage was in large part accrued by disability related expenses.

However, upon further investigation, Sandy ensured us that Habitat for Humanity understands that families come in lots of different shapes and sizes and this did not have a bearing on their overall decision to partner with a family. And that chart dealing with income! Well it turned out to be more of a guideline, than actually written in stone.

So everything turned out all right and our concerns were laid to rest.

(Submitted Thursday, May 10, 2007)

I wanted to start this journal entry off by delivering a shout-out to our friends who not only offered their names, but submitted very thoughtful letters on our behalf. Thank-you! So with a week to spare before the mandatory home ownership information session, we had finally acquired all the necessary documentation and went over our application with a fine tooth comb…several times! It was at that point that we had put our best foot forward and the next step would be out of our hands.

We remember the 20th of September 2000 & 6 quite vividly in our minds as a day with an ominous air. It was dark and dreary that September’s eve, with a cold chill in the air and drizzle—reminiscent of mist. We pulled into the princess market with confidence and a culmination of excitement that only months of anticipation could unleash. Then like a cog in a well oiled machine; we released the tie-downs that hold my wheelchair safely a stow, passed through the side entrance threshold of our van, and rolled upon our hydraulic lift to flow smoothly to the ground. Then as the lift was disengaged, the hydraulic ram slipped off its mount, punctured my leg and created a big gory mess with a compound fracture-O’ what a mess!

(Submitted Saturday, May 12, 2007)

If you look to my last entry you may recall something about a big gory mess! But that was just a trick so that I can reward those who follow along. There was no bloody mess of the sort, just technical difficulties—a far more traumatic event for a cyborg like me! If we backtrack it was the night of the home ownership information session that things went astray. I was about to exit my van by way of my hydraulic lift. However, in order for me to pass through the threshold of the door (where the roof droops down to meet the door) I need to tilt the seat back on my wheelchair to a 45 degree angle. This positions my head low enough to pass under the door opening and drive onto the lift at which point I can then resume an upright position. The procedure is much like the limbo or assuming the position a cosmonaut might take during lift off. My problem occurred when my seat got stuck at about a 40 degree angle which is not back far enough for me to get out of the van.

We were at the meeting a half hour early, but the parking lot was as far as I was going to get! It came time for the meeting, the repairman had been called and there was nothing for me to do but wait. Luckily, my co-conspirator, my partner in-crime, lets face it—the boss was ready to take the helm. Sara went into the meeting without me and submitted our application. She really enjoyed hearing from other Habitat first home owners, about the pop can drive, and meeting the Habitat crew. We already knew most of everything else that was said, but the most exciting thing was to release the application into someone else’s hands so that we would not have to dote over it anymore. It was as much as it could be and so the sooner it was out of our hands—the better!

I referred to myself as a cyborg earlier; I’m not talking about being like the Borg from Star Trek. Don’t worry you will not be assimilated from me! If you look to the definition of a cyborg you will see that in basic terms it refers to one who relies on technology for existence. If you look to modern society we are all slowly becoming cyborg. I rely on technology for existence. This was an attempt to counter the geeky comment of just referring to myself as a cyborg, but I think I now sound like more of a nerd geeky nerd! O-well!!

(Submitted Monday, May 21, 2007)

After the meeting Sara returned to the van in anticipation of my wheelchair being repaired, but to no avail I was still kind of upside-down. I did not mind though because blood had been draining into my noggin for about a hour by this point and I had reached a level of euphoria in which I was surrounded by cute little puppy dogs and a sea turtle named Floyd. Sara shook me out of it and gave me the play-by-play and told me that Sandy would stop by the van to say hello. I was looking forward to meeting Sandy; I just didn’t want it to be in a position as vulnerable as preparing for blast off. Nonetheless, I gathered my composure and managed to carry out a somewhat intelligent conversation - I think!

Sandy stopped by shortly after Sara had returned for our first face to feet conversation and talked about the process and that it would be approximately four months before an answer would be decided upon. Back to waiting, for an answer and the repair man! He arrived shortly after the parking lot went desolate and managed to get my seat in a more accommodating position to at least get me out of my van for the evening. He returned the next morning and repaired my steed back to its former glory and all was well.

The Lost Entry
(Submitted Wednesday, June 20, 2007)

I was reading over my journal entries the other day when it occurred to me that I had left a crucial moment out in the evolution of a Habitat home owner. During what seemed to be a horrendous wait, from the time that it took to hand in our application until the time that it took to receive a yes, we were met by two individuals from the Habitat family selection committee for an impartial home evaluation. Usually this evaluation would follow a first visit to the Worldwide Headquarters of Habitat for Humanity Kingston by applicants. But, a few stairs got in the way so we rolled both meetings into one and met at my place. This was just to determine why our current living accommodations were not meeting our needs.

On the day of the meeting there was a rush at our house to make sure everything in the apartment was clean, tidy, and in its place. We lit up some yummy incense, and baked some smelly cookies. It is my firm belief that sharing a fresh baked apple pie with neighbors could solve a lot of the world’s problems, so in keeping with that notion; fresh baked cookies could easily bribe the folks who comprised of our home evaluation team. But, wouldn’t you know it! They actually walked in wearing nose plugs! No, two truths about it—scouts honor!! They must have seen that trick before.

To determine which family would have the opportunity to partner with habitat, the family selection committee splits up into smaller groups that meet with each applicant family. After each group compiles a list of recommendations, the family selection committee then reconvenes and the entire committee chooses from among those applicants.