Three years. That’s how long it normally takes a Habitat for Humanity chapter to save up to build its first house. The Winkler-Morden chapter is a bit different — since its inception six years ago, it has built six houses.
Overwhelming support
The pace is a cause for reflection.
“[It] feels a little bit unbelievable,” says Christina Falk, who is the manager of chapter support for Habitat Manitoba. “We are still kind of scratching our heads saying, ‘Well, how did we do that?’”
The answer, of course, is the generosity of the region’s inhabitants.
“In order to build, we have to raise all the funds to be able to build that house,” says Falk. “We just go to the community and [say,] ‘We need funds from businesses, we need trades that will donate their labour or their materials, and we need volunteers to come out and help build.’ Every time it comes together.”
On the heels of the completion of Winkler-Morden's sixth house, Falk says that sometimes on a build day, so many people volunteer to help that the chapter can’t accommodate them. The support is astounding.
Shared values, hard times
So why does the Pembina Valley region show up in droves to help at Habitat builds? It may have something to do with believing in the organization’s purpose.
“The mission is to provide safe, stable and good affordable housing for lower-income families,” says Falk. “We're looking for families [with] a minimum income of $35,500, but your income can be much larger than that. If you are renting right now [and] you have young kids, it is almost impossible to save up a down payment for a conventional mortgage at a financial institution.”
With rising housing and food costs, Falk says that the definition of “low income” is changing — even middle-class families are struggling. Habitat recognizes this reality.
“[Even if] you have a $50,000 income or a $60,000 income, it's still very difficult to live right now, and that is not because you manage your money poorly. I want to make that very clear. It is just difficult right now,” she says. “If you’re renting a home and you are struggling to save up a down payment, we want to work with you.”
A rewarding process
For Falk, it’s easy to explain her favourite part of working with Winkler-Morden Habitat.
“I love seeing a family succeed. These are hard-working families that are putting in so many hours just to their regular jobs, and to be able to see that actually go towards something that means something for their family instead of just scraping by, it's really amazing,” she says.
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Falk also appreciates the overall structure of Habitat for Humanity.
“The thing that I love most about the Habitat program is that when [recipients] pay their mortgage payments, that money is used to build the next house. It's really cool,” she says. “It's like a self-sustaining program. The money stays in Morden and Winkler. The more houses you build, the more money you have to build. Why don't we do everything this way? It just makes sense.”
Mortgage payments through Habitat for Humanity are based on income. There is no down payment for the home, and the mortgage is interest-free.
“The payment is 27% of the gross income,” says Falk. “That 27% doesn't change, so the payment changes according to income. It's totally done off a Notice of Assessment.”
Falk says Habitat’s payment structure helps families save for and afford other important areas of life down the road. The organization also helps the community overall by creating stability that results in a flourishing region.
An ambitious, but attainable (with the help of the community) dream
As for the future, it’s unsurprising what Falk and the Winkler-Morden chapter of Habitat hope for.
“We would love to build next year,” she says. “The cost of building has gone up so much in the last three years and it's not stopping. It is much harder for us to raise enough money now than it was five years ago, [but] we would love to build next year.”
Falk says that her husband, the chair of Habitat’s Winkler-Morden chapter, also has some big goals in mind for 2026. They coincide with a special milestone.
“The first Habitat house in all of Canada was built in Winkler in 1986, and so the 40th anniversary of that house build is coming up in 2026,” she says. “My husband . . . has a dream that we could build 4 in 40 — so 4 houses for the 40th anniversary.”
Falk is cautiously optimistic about her husband’s hopes.
“He often has a dream and I say, ‘There is no way we could ever do that,’ and all the time, his dreams come true,” she says.
For those who have the same dream as Falk’s husband, there are many ways to get involved. Donations can be made to the Winkler-Morden Habitat chapter on the Manitoba Habitat website. To donate specifically to the local chapter, click the drop-down menu and select “Winkler-Morden.”
“If you are a business of some kind and you would like recognition, please get in touch with us. We can provide recognition for your donation for our next build,” says Falk, adding that the chapter will soon be searching for tradespeople willing to donate a day of work or a project at a lowered cost or for free.
Falk says that the chapter is also looking for community members to join the fundraising committee.
“We need people to come on who are just willing to do a little bit of leg work to get things done,” she says. “The more people we have, the less work we have to do.”
When it comes down to it, yet again, the community’s generosity is the (well-known) secret that continues to make the region a better place to live for everyone.
~With files from Ty Hildebrand and Jayme Giesbrecht~