On Friday, January 27, 2023 Habitat for Humanity Northumberland board members, volunteers and staff joined community members, neighbours, and local politicians to celebrate the completion of a Habitat house in the Village of Hastings. Katie and her children received the keys to their new house during the ceremony, becoming the 64th family to access affordable homeownership through the Habitat program in Northumberland County.
In 2021, Habitat Northumberland acquired the vacant building lot at the site through a partnership with the Municipality of Trent Hills. Habitat Northumberland officially broke ground on the construction of this house, the very first in the Village of Hastings, in April 2022. Over the summer and fall months volunteers joined Habitat staff to build a single-detached home on this site.
“At Habitat, every build is unique. This house is the first single-detached new home completed since 2018,” explains Executive Director Meaghan Macdonald. “It was nice to build once again from the ground up. For us, this type of project provides unique volunteer engagement opportunities, ones that we have had to suspend recently due of the nature of construction and pandemic restrictions. We were thrilled that we were able to host team builds, where groups of up to 10 people can work alongside the construction team, which sped up the process and enriched the build experience for all.”
The Government of Canada, through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund, is proud to partner with Habitat for Humanity to create approximately 414 new affordable housing units across Canada and lift hundreds of families out of housing need.
“Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Our government remains committed to working with our partners to develop and implement affordable housing solutions here in Ontario and across the country. Today’s announcement will help a Hastings family access affordable housing that will allow them to raise their children in a healthy and supportive environment. This is our National Housing Strategy at work.” – The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion
As new Habitat homeowners, Katie and her children have and will continue to give back to the local community through their partnership with Habitat. Along with family and friends, they have contributed over 500 hours in the ReStore and on Habitat construction sites. Their property taxes will help maintain roads, fund schools, and create jobs. And their monthly mortgage payment will help fund future builds here in our community and in other countries through the fund for humanity.
Now that this project is done, the team of staff and volunteers are focusing on the construction of a seven-unit project in Baltimore, scheduled to start in the spring of 2023. For more information or to stay updated with Habitat for Humanity Northumberland’s upcoming plans, please visit the website at www.habitatnorthumberland.ca or follow Habitat’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/HabitatNorthumberland/.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
