The work to build two new triplexes in Ravenswood in Airdrie’s southeast will begin before the end of 2015, providing six deserving families with the pride of home ownership through the Habitat for Humanity organization.
Gerrad Oishi, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Southern Alberta, provided City council with an update on the organization’s activities at its regular meeting on Nov. 16.
One family has already been chosen to move into one of the new triplexes. The family has one child with a disability, requiring the mother to stay at home to care for that child and resulting in a loss of one income.
“They began to really struggle,” Oishi said. “We’re excited to have them as part of our Habitat family partner group.”
The other five families will be chosen through an application and selection process in January and February 2016. Oishi said he’s hopeful the families will be in their new homes by Christmas 2016.
“When a family partners with Habitat, they will spend about 500 hours working with us, helping to build their home,” Oishi said. “Once they take possession of this home, they will pay an interest free mortgage to Habitat, and then we, as Habitat, use those proceeds to help us build our next home.”
Alderman Ron Chapman asked what happens if a family wants to sell their home in the future. According to Oishi, Habitat has the first right of refusal to purchase the home back.
“Typically, Habitat will buy the homes back. We have many families who literally just need this hand up,” he said.
“As they start to stabilize their lives and start to do better, they have the ability to take the equity that they’ve saved out of this current house and buy a home on the market. With the Habitat home that we buy back, we have the opportunity to put another family in it and just keep helping people.”
Habitat for Humanity builds affordable homes in communities all over the world. The organization built two semi-detached homes in Bayside in Airdrie’s southwest in 2012.
The homes are built using volunteer labour and donated materials – as much as possible. Individuals and companies are encouraged to get involved in the build, according to Oishi.
Proclamation
At its meeting, City council unanimously approved a request from the Volunteer Airdrie Society to proclaim Dec. 1 as Giving Tuesday in Airdrie.
Giving Tuesday is a national day of giving established in Canada in 2013 that now includes more than 1,900 member organizations, including Volunteer Airdrie.
