Everyone’s journey to Habitat homeownership looks different. For Habitat homebuyer Yousuf, that journey involved escaping an authoritarian Eritrean regime, living for a year in a tent in an Ethiopian refugee camp, living hand-to-mouth for nearly five years in Sudan, five-days of trekking across the Libyan Desert and two soul-searching days and nights without food aboard a small, overcrowded boat en route to Malta via the Mediterranean Sea.
Yousuf was fasting in observance of Ramadan when he sat down to speak about his journey to Habitat homeownership in late February.
Yousuf and his wife Neema and their three young daughters (ages 7,3 and 1) were accepted into Habitat’s first-time homebuyer program in October of 2025. They were the second family welcomed into the program from the 2025 spring Lebanon application cycle. Yousuf immediately began working on his sweat equity hours and, less than two months after his acceptance into the program, he recorded the 100 hours necessary for house match.
Yousuf and his family currently live in a cramped, two-bedroom apartment in Lancaster City. And one of those bedrooms is virtually unusable due to a mold issue. The family’s living room doubles as a dining room as well as occasionally functioning as the children’s bedroom. Paint is peeling off the walls, creating potential exposure to lead and rain drips through a crack in the living room window. The glass panes on the exterior kitchen door are taped to prevent drafts, but that’s not enough to combat the soaring electric heating bill.
“Renting cannot change your life,” says Yousuf, who works as a packer for Dart Container. “When I have my own home, I can change my life. We can have a garden and plant vegetables. The kids will have their own rooms to do homework. My dream is for my daughters to finish college.”
Twenty years ago, Yousuf dreamt of freedom. He was forced to leave school and conscripted into the Eritrean army. After spending time in an army training center, he decided to leave the country.
A prolonged period of agonizing instability and struggle ensued as Yousuf moved northwest across Africa from Ethiopia to Malta – a journey that spanned more than six years and 2,000 miles. After a year in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, he made his way to Sudan where able to find a meager job. Nearly five years passed before he was able to make his way across the Libyan Desert to board a ship bound for Malta.
The ship was small and crammed with 250 other people. At some point during the journey, the boat broke down and Yousuf and the other passengers spent two days and nights adrift at sea with no food
Life is short, Yousuf thought, why is it like this?
Finally, Yousuf landed at the port in Malta, and after spending time in a cell awaiting news about his refugee status, he was able to apply to come to the U.S.
He arrived in Lancaster in 2016 and spent a few years working as a Lyft driver. His wife and two older daughters joined him in Lancaster in 2023. Last year the couple welcomed their third daughter into the world.
“When I came to apply at Habitat, they give me an open face. They don’t give me bad faces,” says Yousuf. “Lancaster has lots of very nice people. I’m very happy here. I’ve made friends (volunteering) at the ReStore.”
Working alongside the other ReStore volunteers Yousuf sees the spirit of the community in action.
“If you don’t have money to give, you can come volunteer,” says Yousuf. “One hand does not make enough sound, but 10 can make a lot.”
In the meantime, Yousuf is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to match with his future Habitat home.
“My daughters will be happy. They can sleep in their own bedroom. Right now, they are together in one room,” says Yousuf. “When we get a house, life will change for my kids.”