‘Sense of freedom.’ 500 hours and 7,100 miles later, Tri-Cities man fulfills a dream

Each weekend Kyaw Htoo showed up ready to help someone realize a dream.

Whatever work needed to be done, the Pasco man was there to help. And he showed up every weekend.

The hundreds of hours he spent helping others paid off this winter for he and his wife and their three young children. They are celebrating the holiday season in their first house.

“I knew it could happen, but I wasn’t sure how we would make it a reality,” said Htoo. “I’ve always wanted my own home. Now that I’m an actual homeowner, it gives me a sense of freedom.”

Owning a home has been a dream since Htoo left his farm in Myanmar and arrived as a refugee in Washington in 2008.

His native country, also known as Burma, has been locked in a decades-long civil war marked by crimes against humanity and genocide.

He came alone and ended up in a Tri-City apartment with a job at Tyson Fresh Meats near Pasco.

“I heard about Habitat (for Humanity) when I first arrived in the Tri-Cities, but I couldn’t apply because my wife wasn’t here yet,” he told the Herald.

After returning to Myanmar to bring over his wife, they applied to buy a home through Habitat. The nonprofit offers low-interest loans to people who normally wouldn’t have the ability to buy a house.

As part of the program, the soon-to-be homeowners needed to invest 500 hours of work into their house and other people’s homes.

That equals 40 hours a week for over three months. And normally it takes participants about 18 months to get the time in.

“Habitat for Humanity was founded with the understanding that enabling people to invest in themselves and their families will have a compounded, positive impact on individuals, families and communities,” said Jet Richardson, executive director at Tri-County Partners Habitat for Humanity.

The “sweat equity” involved in a Habitat project helps reduce the cost of a home, making it more affordable, but also helps first-time home buyers learn how to do their own maintenance.

Once Htoo was accepted for the program, he showed up every Saturday — something Richardson said was remarkable even in a community of people who are committed to getting a home.

First, he worked on other homes, many of whom were co-workers at Tyson.

Then he began working on his own.

His efforts paid off this month when he and his wife were handed the keys to their three-bedroom rambler.

“His attitude was amazing,” Richardson told the Herald. “He was always willing to do whatever work needed to be done that day.”

Htoo described it as being part of a community, all working for the same goal.

“It was nice to have friends helping and working with us to build our new home,” he said.

Owning their home

On Dec. 5, Htoo, his wife, Naw May, and their children, ages 5, 3 and 1, stood in front of their Cedar Avenue home for the dedication.

It was the nonprofit’s 138th home in the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla since it started here in 1994. Thirty-eight of the homes have been bought by workers at the nearby Tyson beef processing plant.

With the tight housing market in the Tri-Cities, Habitat offers some relief to first-time buyers willing to put in the work to buy a home, said David Tobias, the human resources manager for the Tyson plant.

“We are so appreciative of the opportunities Tri-County Partners Habitat for Humanity has given our team who are willing to put in the work to become homeowners,” Tobias said in a release.

But for Htoo, this moment was the culmination of months of work, and he said it felt good to be involved in the building of it.

“I wanted to own my own home. I wanted a yard for my kids to play in, and I wanted a garden,” he said.

“When we first came to Washington, it was hard,” he said. “But I am ready to be a homeowner. My daughter has asked every day, ‘When do we get to move into our new house?’ We have achieved this home together and are very happy.”