Annette Tommila, an only child, grew up with a mother that struggled with alcohol addiction so house parties and domestic fights were not uncommon. Between the ages 14 and 17  Annette lived in foster care until moving out on her own at 17. By the young age of 19 she'd had her first child, Jennifer, and by 21 her second, Nash. During this time her mom passed away, meaning she lost the only family she had to addiction. Married at 22, Annette had four more children, Christopher, Katrina, Kari, and KayDee. In 2008, Annette made the difficult decision to leave her youngest four children with their father and filed for divorce.

Johnny Tommila grew up in a two-parent household with 5 siblings. They were very close but, in spite of his supportive family, John began his struggle with alcohol at a young age. He dropped out of high school and started down a path of trouble with the law but later obtained his GED. Similarly to Annette, he was married and divorced early in his adult life.

Annette and John met in 2009 and have been married since 2015. Together, they bought a mobile home in 2010 but lost it to fire in 2013. During this time, Johnny had to have back surgery, which started his next chapter of chemical dependency and Annette’s first. Together they traveled the path of addiction until they hardly recognized themselves. They realized that quitting and reforming the people they were no longer proud of would require the help of others.

In 2016, the pair were arrested due to drug use, and the experience began their road to recovery. They found a higher power, started to understand and deal with the pain of their past, and gained the confidence to know a positive life without addiction was possible.

Justine went back to school in 2016 to obtain a 2-year Industrial Power Generation degree with a diploma in Pulp and Paper from Itasca Community College. In 2018 Justine started working in her current position in the distribution center for ASV.  “ASV is a great family friendly place to work.  They’re always willing to work with you if you need time off”  says Justine. For the last few years she has helped with the highway clean-up project for ASV and says it made her realize how much she enjoys giving back.

Some of Justine’s hobbies include cooking, gardening, hunting, and fishing.  She just loves anything outdoors!  With her boys getting older, the prospect of having a house in town is exciting.  They can then be more social and get involved in extracurricular activities.  Justine states, “I have been working toward my own home for a long time.  This will be our first actual home and I am so thankful to get this opportunity.”  Justine has already been putting in volunteer hours and has attended financial classes offered through Habitat even before becoming a partner family.  She is excited to learn more about building and maintaining houses.

The Jensens will be on schedule to purchase and move into their home in early summer 2020.  This will be the 44th house that Itasca County Habitat for Humanity has built.
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Donate to Habitat to help more families like the Jensens realize their dreams of homeownership. If you’d like to assist with the construction of the Jensen’s home, volunteer with us!