One new Habitat for Humanity home in Olds is in the process of being bought by an interested family and in 2020, two other homes on 52nd Avenue will be refurbished after they're sold.
The organization is hoping to create more homes in the community in the future.
Habitat for Humanity builds homes for people who otherwise couldn’t afford them. Local contractors build those homes, with the exterior work done by volunteers.
"We're working collaboratively with funders and employers in town who might have employees who want to buy these homes. It feels optimistic," said Louise Gangé, the director of regional development for Habitat.
The Mountain View County chapter of Habitat For Humanity (MVCHFH), operates under the umbrella of Southern Alberta Habitat For Humanity.
The affordable housing is given to those who meet their criteria, which include a minimum income of $40,000 a year (depending on the location), having children under the age of 18, at least one member of the household is working full-time (at least 35 hours a week) and there's a consistent employment history of at least two years, all , and the family has and low debt.
There is no down payment and a zero per cent interest loan. However, that down payment is instead replaced with 500 hours of volunteer work and the monthly payments are no more than 25 per cent of a family’s income.
Gangé gave insight into what the challenges are in finding families for the Habitat homes. She said that the biggest thing keeping people from giving Habitat a chance is misunderstanding what it's all about.
“People don’t think they’ll qualify, or it’s not for them, it’s for somebody else, a needy family or something.”
Gangé pushed back against that idea, saying it’s for families who work hard.
“It’s not about being a needy family. It’s a family that’s working really hard, that is using their paycheques to pay for housing, food, car payments or soccer practice for their kids. They just don’t have the extra to put away for a down payment on a house.
“That’s how we want to support families, so they’re not having to chase low-income rentals,” said Gangé.
There are endless possibilities for the kind of volunteer work that Habitat families can do to achieve their 500 hours.
“We ask or invite people to let us know what kind of volunteering they’re doing now. It could be where their child goes to school. It could be for the local food bank, for any not-for-profit in the community," Gangé said.
“They would be able to do exterior work of the actual house they may buy,”
Gangé cited the Boston Study Group which found that Habitat families tend to volunteer more in their community than the average Canadian, even after their 500-hour requirement is complete.
