Aug. 29 When Curtis Nivens moved into his new Habitat for Humanity house on Aug. 28, it represented a chance for a fresh start.

Nivens, the single father of four, received the keys to his new house in Cornelius’ Poole Place neighborhood after putting in 400 hours of “sweat equity” work to build the home and completing homeownership classes.

When Our Towns Habitat for Humanity and longtime supporter Davidson United Methodist Church welcomed Nivens into his new home, it was a huge relief to a family that had seen difficult times recently. The family at one point lived in a two-bedroom trailer and more recently in a larger, but dilapidated, house with no central heating or air conditioning. Nivens at one point was paying $300 heating bills for space heaters to keep the family warm during the winter.

Nivens even ended up homeless at one point, and his family split up to stay with friends.

The new homeowner says he is thankful to have a more secure dwelling after years of hardship and uncertainty.

“This house gives us something stable that is ours,” Nivens said. “If something happens to the kids when they get older, they will always have this house to come back to.”