FREEPORT — After moving eight times in last dozen years, Heidi Randall and her daughter Dylan have found a permanent home, thanks to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland.

Although the two moved into the home at 1 Hummingbird Lane in July, a dedication ceremony was held Tuesday in advance of the property’s final closing. About 20 people attended, including friends, family, and Habitat workers.

Randall said she is very grateful for everyone’s support and help.

“You say, is this really happening? Do I really get to live in this house?” Randall told the crowd gathered around her front porch.

Randall applied for a Habitat home last year after realizing she couldn’t afford to continue renting and couldn’t afford to buy a home. She knew she wanted to stay in Freeport, and turned to Habitat for help.

Laura Duplissis, Habitat’s communications and volunteer manager, said Randall was a great candidate for a home.

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“The second I met Heidi I knew she’d be the perfect ambassador for Habitat,” Duplissis said.

Randall previously lived in Freeport for seven years before moving away for a job. She has worked for the Maine Youth Action Network since she returned, and said she loves Freeport and wants to stay indefinitely.

“(The home) means stability and the ability to stay in the area,” Randall said.

Her daughter, a sixth-grader at the Merriconeag Waldorf School, agreed.

“I like having one place to really settle into and have my friends nearby,” Dylan, 12, said.

Dylan’s teacher Suzie Peirson gave the opening blessing at the ceremony and said Heidi and Dylan’s homes in the past have always been open, loving environments. She said their new home will be no different.

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“When I think of Dylan and Heidi’s new home, I think of the energy and light that will live within it,” Peirson said.

The home is the second of the eight on Hummingbird Lane to be completed by Habitat, a nonprofit, faith-based organization that provides low-cost homes to eligible owners in exchange for sweat equity. Affordable monthly mortgage payments are used to fund future Habitat projects.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland serves 28 communities, and in nearly three decades has built 57 homes, according to its website. The organization’s executive director, Godfrey Wood, is the husband of Karen Wood, publisher of The Forecaster.

Kate Gardner can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 125 or kgardner@theforecaster.net. Follow her on Twitter: @katevgardner.

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Heidi Randall, left, thanks Habitat for Humanity on Tuesday for its help in providing a Freeport home for her and her daughter.


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