Fort Smith (Sep 22/03) - Maggie Kurszewski will have a new home to call her own, after all.

After a year of waiting, the Fort Smith elder received word last week from the NWT Housing Corporation that it will build her a new house.

"I feel a heck of a lot better, but I hope they're not just saying it like last year," she says.

Kurszewski recently told News/North she had given up waiting for the government to live up to a promise of a new house. She claims the promise was made last year.

The day after the story appeared, she says she received a call from the corporation saying money had been found to build the house.

Kurszewski admits it almost sounds too good to be true. "But I'm going to go for it and believe them this time."

She had planned to give up her existing house to her family and move into a seniors' housing unit.

The 68-year-old says the thought of not having her own house was very hard on her system, even keeping her awake at night. "It was more than I could take."

She plans to stay in her existing home until a new one is built next to it.

Tom Makepeace, the corporation's South Slave director, confirms Kurszewski will get a modest, two-bedroom home under the independent housing program.

Makepeace says Kurszewski and the corporation have been discussing the project over the last year, and money became available to do it. "We've been working on this all along."

It was determined that Kurszewski has sufficient income to maintain such a house, he says. "We've decided to go ahead."

Makepeace adds the corporation intends to put out a tender right away, and he expects Kurszewski will be in the new house by December.

Was it coincidence?

The corporation official says it was just a coincidence the decision on the house followed the media coverage. "With the housing corporation, we're always closing out projects and reviewing budgets to see if there is money to do other projects."

Makepeace maintains no promise of a house was made to Kurszewski last year.