It wasn鈥檛 difficult to discern a true spirit that lies within a Habitat for Humanity project.聽
Ben Sipple has seen it time after time in various forms, the most recent occasions being at sod turning and key turn over events in Regina when low income families first prepare for and then later take possession of their own home. The home is built with a lot of sweat equity from the potential owners and volunteers who love their community and are willing to give the selected low-income family group a hand up, not a hand out.聽
Sipple drove from Regina to Estevan on June 23 to speak to about 35 people who had gathered at the Days Inn to learn more about getting involved in a local HFH project that is currently being spearheaded by a small, but efficient, committee headed by chairman Doug Barnstable.聽
Winston Bailey, chairman of the Weyburn HFH committee which has already built their first home, also made his way to the Energy City to provide additional information and impart some additional spirit into the prospects that face the local group as they start out on their fundraising effort, property selection and acquisition, family selection and volunteer contributors.聽
鈥淧lease make it clear,鈥� said Sipple while talking with the Mercury, 鈥渢hat this is not a free house that a local committee is
building and giving to some family. So many times that is the misinterpretation the general public gets, and that鈥檚 not the case at all. The selected homeowners put in 500 hours of sweat equity, they assume mortgage payments, insurance payments, maintenance costs, pay property taxes just like everyone else.鈥�
What the program does, is give the family a well-built basic home valued at between $200,000 to $275,000 without having to come up with the initial down payment. They do make the interest-free mortgage payments, to HFH.聽
Sipple, who hails from Kentucky, said he got caught up in the spirit of the Habitat for Humanity program when he volunteered for rebuilding projects in New Orleans following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.聽
Bailey noted how Weyburn鈥檚 first project met with such rapid fire responses from the
community that the first home was built and ready for occupancy within 23 weeks, while the normal pace indicates a
fundraising and construction period of a year or more.聽
鈥淔undraising is the biggest challenge, but obviously Weyburn got over that hurdle quickly and I鈥檓 sure you will too, here in Estevan,鈥� Sipple said.聽
A sense of pride in community and the sense of accomplishment achieved by volunteers is a huge factor in any HFH project, the two agreed. The smiles coming from selected homeowning
family members as they work away on the project and then receive the keys to their home, make it all worthwhile. Bailey said that for the Weyburn key ceremony, over 350 people gathered to make the event a pretty special one for everyone connected to the project, right down to the seniors in a nearby condominium who provided freshly baked goods for the volunteers on a regular basis, Bailey added.聽
Barnstable, who is leading the local committee that also consists of Calven Johnson, Dan Jenish, Jody Copeland and Roberta DeRosier, so far, said the fundraising efforts have begun, the family selection process has also started as of that evening, with a short list of potential home recipients being handed over to the Regina committee by the end of summer. It is necessary to have the family identified soon to determine what specifications will be required in the building of the new home. It was also noted the provincial
government generally commits between $30,000 to $50,000 for such
辫谤辞箩别肠迟蝉.听
Barnstable said he hoped to have the local fundraising drive
completed or at least to the qualifying 80 per cent mark by next spring so construction could begin early and be completed by October or November.聽
The homeowners have a series of obligations that must be met, beyond the 500 hours of sweat
equity, and those were also spelled out to the potential candidates.聽
Once the mortgage payments are completed, the home belongs to the family outright, and they can do what they wish. They can sell it and move to another home, continue to live in it, lease it, or do what any other homeowner would have the privilege of doing with their home. Payments that generally range from $650 to $1,100 per month, and paid by the family, are directed to HFH, who back the project and provide insurance for it. The money gained is used as feedstock for future homebuilding projects, meaning that one successful project feeds another. The payments are adjusted so as not to place unnecessary strain on the new homeowner鈥檚 already modest income. Potential homeowners must have been residents in the community for at least two years and have a steady employment income of under $52,000 per year.聽
Barnstable said the Estevan applicant list will be completed by July 25, with the short list sent into Regina for their assessment and final decision.
Sipple said those applicants will be notified of their status on a regular basis until the final decision is made. The shortlisted families are subjected to necessary credit checks and financial reports. Sipple noted that the family selection committee is also comprised of unpaid volunteers.聽
A quick look at a typical HFH home indicated simple, but well designed and well-built homes. Barnstable said the local committee has at least one property in mind in Estevan, but will be checking with the City of Estevan for other possible locations.聽
The homes often don鈥檛 come painted on the
interior, but some do. It鈥檚 the same with additional flooring 鈥� it will depend on the extent of the volunteer efforts. Otherwise, it will be built with an appropriate number of bedrooms, a kitchen with stove, fridge and
dishwasher provided, but no carport or garage. It will have a deck or patio.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty exciting and I鈥檓 sure Estevan will respond,鈥� said Barnstable as he thanked the visitors for adding to the information base and injecting a fresh sense of excitement for the local project that is now well underway.
