A new Habitat for Humanity home in Portage la Prairie is ready to move forward, but organizers are calling on more families to apply.
Christina Falk, manager of chapter support for Habitat Manitoba, works with local groups outside Winnipeg to guide them through the process.
She notes that in Portage, “house plans are all ready to go. They’re ready to get in the ground and build. But we’ve had a bit of a struggle getting applications in.”
How the chapter works
Falk explains that each chapter is volunteer-driven.
“The way a chapter functions in Manitoba is it’s a group of people from the community, they’re all volunteers. They basically run the whole process from picking a family to getting the plans ready for the house they’re going to build, to finding the land and doing the fundraising. They do the whole process. I support them through every step of that,” she says.
In Portage, she adds, the next build will go ahead once a family is selected.
Families must meet several criteria, including being Canadian citizens or permanent residents, having lived and worked locally for at least two years, and having children under 18.
“They need to be currently renting and wouldn’t generally qualify for a regular mortgage at a financial institution,” Falk continues. “Your minimum income needs to be 35,500 and that’s your income, not on social assistance.”
The home itself
The Portage chapter is set to construct a new house on Goodale Drive.
Falk remarks, “It’s a brand-new home we have. We pay a site manager, and then we use both paid trades and volunteers to build the home.”
She mentions that homeowners get to make some personal choices.
“The homeowner will choose paint colours, floor colour, and countertop colour. If you’ve seen the houses in Portage before, this one is going to be generally the same kind of design.”
Over the years, Portage has seen 13 Habitat homes built, an impressive number for a volunteer-run chapter.
Falk says, “it’s quite an accomplishment that a group of volunteers has done this and built so many homes. It’s a wonderful thing.”
A community-driven model
What sets Habitat’s program apart, she continues, is its sustainability.
“As the homeowners make their mortgage payments, those payments stay in Portage, and they help to build the next home. Portage is able to build every year or two because they have income coming in from other homes, and it just makes it a wonderful model.”
Falk adds that rising costs make volunteer and trade support even more important.
“We’re looking at about $250,000 to build a home right now because of material expenses and all that. We do use volunteers to try to reduce the cost a little bit, but what really helps with reducing cost is when we have trades that are willing to either donate their time or donate a percentage of the materials or all of the materials.”
How to apply or get involved
Those interested in applying can email the family selection committee at familyselectionportage@gmail.com.
Falk mentions that the same email can be used by anyone wanting to volunteer or help out.
She continues, “Because we don’t have a family selected now, we don’t know exactly when the build is going to start. They would love to do it this year, but it will just depend on how that selection process goes. It may only start next year.”
Right now, the chapter is also hoping to find someone to take on social media and communications.
Falk says, “There are so many families in Portage who I know would qualify for this program. It’s hard to rent and have children, and save up the down payment. It’s really hard to do. This is just a wonderful way to get into a home.”
She concludes, “You own it. You’re buying this house, and the payments are adjusted to your income so that you can afford to do it. It’s just a really great way for the community to come together to help families get into homes. We need those applications to make that happen.”
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