PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Habitat for Humanity gave a Providence family the keys to their brand-new home Wednesday. “It’s amazing, it’s overwhelming, I don’t even know what to say,” Maribel Dominguez said. “We release the application, there’s a selection process,” Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Patricia Jackson said. “These families go through criteria just like anyone other person who is buying a home. We look at low to moderate income need.” The project began in march of 2023, with the home being built by volunteers and Dominguez herself. “She put in 350 volunteer hours of her own, out here building the house with us,” Jackson said. “Today she gets to see the work that’s been going into this for her.” Maribel said that the experience taught her things that you don’t learn when you just move into a house. She added that her family is very excited to move into their new home. “I am happy that I am going to stay in my community because I already know the community,” Maribel said. “I know so many people, my work is down the street.” The funding for the project was provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island and the City of Providence. “We think about housing as health,” Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island CEO Martha Wofford said. “It’s absolutely foundational to people’s health to have a safe and affordable place to live.” Maribel now officially has the keys to her new home. “I am so excited, I don’t think it’s true, I think I am still dreaming,” she said. Categories: News, Providence, Rhode Island