Habitat for Humanity hands over the keys for a Lebanon rebuild

Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity held a home dedication over the weekend for a house at 519 N. 11th St. in Lebanon.

The house went to one of their own employees, Sonia Quiñones.

After two house fires, the home had been left unoccupied and condemned. Now, the building now has three bedrooms and two bathrooms in around 1,500 feet of living space.

The dedication ceremony had over 50 people pack themselves into the living room and kitchen at the front of the house. Though the neighborhood was without power, the speakers and guests maintained their positivity through the speeches.

Quiñones said her past housing experiences have been unstable, and this home is a chance for consistency.

“It was from house to house, and there was a point during COVID, I once upon a time stayed in my Jeep,” she said. “I stayed at my grandma’s house just until I could figure an apartment.”

She said she got involved with Habitat for Humanity soon after, and she’s currently working at the Lancaster Habitat ReStore. Even before she was approved for the home on 11th Street, she started working on the rebuild.

With the previous damage, the team had to reconstruct the house from the ground up. Quiñones said she even faced her fear of heights on the scaffolding.

Andrew Szalay, president and CEO of Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity, said the property took about 3,000 to 3,500 volunteer hours to complete. And many of those volunteers were in attendance to see Quiñones receive the keys to her new home.

“I think the most amazing thing about leading a group, a community that has chosen to make home ownership a priority, is the joy of having a homebuyer come in and know that they can rest and be empowered from that rest,” Szalay said. “Moving frequently from a rental situation, changing leases, having to get the finances together for the security deposit, and then knowing this is the house that’s going to help you build savings in the number one way to build wealth in America is a greater comfort because we’re empowering people.”

Habitat for Humanity board members spoke about their experiences with Quiñones and what steady housing means for people who can struggle to afford it.

“I wanted to thank everyone — all my volunteers that helped me out … to make my dream come true to be a homeowner,” Quiñones told the crowd. “Thank you, guys.”

The home, she said, won’t just be a space for her. She’ll also welcome her family members a steady place to stay.

“For my nephews and nieces, I’ll have something more stable for family, and especially my parents,” she said. “They couldn’t come from Puerto Rico, but I’ll have extra room now for them.”