Snoqualmie Ridge, Washington – January 2, 2009 - 2 More Families Become Homeowners at the Koinonia Ridge Development in Snoqualmie

Two home dedications will take place at Snoqualmie Ridge on Saturday, January 10, 2009. The McKenzie-Munro family and the Willhight-Harris family will celebrate becoming first-time homeowners. Since December 2001, 39 Habitat families have become homeowners in the Koinonia Ridge development.

After being illegally evicted from their apartment in Bellevue, Jillian Munro and Chris McKenzie and their two children, Tyson, 5 and Tobias, 1, were forced to move to Snohomish where they paid almost $1,000 rent per month for a home that had visible water damage, black mold, mice infestation, faulty electrical wiring and a chimney that leaked water during rainy months.

The family looks forward to creating new friends in their stable community and having a permanent home for their children to grow up in. The McKenzie-Munro family is purchasing a refurbished three-bedroom home from HFHEKC.

Jason Willhight and Melinda Harris, life-long residents of East King County, are the parents of five children, Erica, 9, Isaiah, 7, twin girls Caitlyn and Chloe, 4, and Caleb 2.

For the last three and a half years, the family has lived in a three-bedroom, two-bath home in North Bend. Aside from being overcrowded, with the five children sharing two of the bedrooms, there are many structural problems with the home. This includes inadequate plumbing resulting in toilet leaks, broken showers, and no hot water in the bath. The home is drafty due to lack of insulation and mold is a constant battle.

The Willhight-Harris family is purchasing a refurbished four-bedroom home from HFHEKC.

The Home Dedications will take place on Saturday, January 10, 2009, at 3 p.m. in the Koinonia Ridge Community Center, 36912 SE Gravenstein Court, Snoqualmie, WA 98065.

Habitat for Humanity East King County empowers families, builds community, and creates hope through an aggressive home-building ministry.

Its vision is to make it possible for all residents of East King County to live in simple, decent, affordable housing through homeownership. Habitat for Humanity East King County is a grassroots, Christian community organization that constructs homes in a self-help, homeownership program.

For more information, interviews, high-resolution photos, etc., contact Jodi Bridges, Special Events and Communications Officer, Habitat for Humanity East King County at 425-869-6007 or via e-mail at jbridges@habitatekc.org.