SUE-ANNE Webeck had given up on the great Australian dream of buying her own home.
Now, thanks to Habitat for Humanity, the single mum is weeks away from her dream coming true.
The non-profit home-ownership organisation teams up with low-income families to build simple and affordable homes which are financed with interest-free loans.
Families contribute 500 hours of their own labour towards building the homes.
The Bidwill Blitz Build project begins on Monday, November16, when Habitat for Humanity will help the Webecks and a second family build the houses in less than a fortnight.
The families may be able to move in as early as Christmas.
Ms Webeck had been unable to borrow enough money to secure a home until now, despite years of saving every spare cent.
The Hebersham Public School teacher's aid and her son Michael, 16, live in a Housing NSW house in Bidwill just minutes away from where their new house will be built.
Their Habitat for Humanity application was accepted two years ago, two weeks before Ms Webeck's 50th birthday.
She is friends with one of the two families already living at the site. ``It means the world for both of us to have homes that are ours,'' she said. ``It's not only for the rest of my life but it will set up Michael for life as well.
Words can't describe how that feels.
``We live in a Housing Commission home and, the way the economy is going, there's no way we would have this opportunity if it wasn't for Habitat for Humanity.''
Michael looks forward to helping out with the building as he wants to pursue a career in carpentry or engineering. ``Mum and I are a good team and I'm happy this is a reward for what she's done,'' he said.
Habitat for Humanity will help eight more families build their homes in Bidwill next year. It expects to have helped out its 100th Australian family by the end of 2010.