Theresa Fessenden’s three children, Tristan, Brayden and Lily, have not had their own beds in nearly a year.

The four have been living with Fessenden’s friend since November, taking up residency inside the house’s basement. These living arrangements have been less than ideal in terms of amenities, with Fessenden and her daughter sharing a bed every night while her two sons sleep on a pair of couches.

“It’s hard living where we are now,” the Cassopolis mother said. “When all of us are there, there are around 10 to 11 people occupying the house at once. We don’t really have our own space. We’re basically all living in a single room.”

The family’s living situation will soon look a whole brighter, however.

Fessenden will soon receive a brand new home in Cassopolis, as the Cass County Habitat for Humanity is currently building she and her three children a three bedroom home, situated at the corner of First and Pearl streets. This weekend, a group of around 20 volunteers from around the community put a major dent in the remaining work to be done on the structure, which builders expect to complete by October.

Fessenden, who has lived in Cassopolis with her family for more than 10 years, first heard about the project in May after receiving a flyer about it from Sam Adams Elementary School, which her children attend.

After filling out the necessary paperwork and participating in interviews with staff, the mother received word in June that her family had been selected to live in the new house.

“I was ecstatic when they told me,” Fessenden said. “Finally, there was a light at the end of tunnel. I finally have a place of my own for my kids and me. When I told them about it, it made it even better.”

Fessenden had already been saving up money the last several months in order to find an apartment for her family. She was considering moving to Niles, where she currently works, before this opportunity became available to her, right in her backyard.

“I couldn’t see myself out of Cassopolis,” she said. “This is where I want to raise my kids.”

Fessenden pitched in during the building blitz over the weekend, and was heartened by not only the progress the builders made, finishing up the basements, walls and roof, but also by the dedication that she saw from the people lending her a hand.

“It was awesome to see so many people volunteer to help us out when they didn’t have to spend their weekend doing so,”

she said.

Among the volunteers assisting during the build were members of her church, Cassopolis United Methodist Church, one of whom even skipped Sunday service in order to help out that morning, she said.

The anticipation has been growing with her three children as they move closer and closer to the expected move-in date, as they stop by the house every evening to see the progress volunteers have made.

“I just hope people will see the excitement and spread the word,” she said. “It’s an awesome program and more people should look into it.”