HCF funds the YOUth Create after-school program in the McQuesten neighbourhood. Its focus is on fitness, nutrition, health, well-being and the arts. Read about their activities in Canadian Cyclist magazine.
Grants
Great Grant Stories
Mary spent hours helping to build her new Habitat for Humanity home. Hers is one of eight Hamilton families who will achieve affordable home ownership through this project.
Affordable Housing for Families in the Keith Neighbourhood
The stair treads in Mary’s house have been autographed. The signatures are from incredibly important people – not movie stars or famous musicians, but some 50 volunteers who helped Mary build her Habitat for Humanity home.
It’s one story of many that Bob McConkey, executive director of Habitat Hamilton, tells about a project that is creating affordable home ownership for eight families in the Keith neighbourhood, north of Barton between Wellington and Wentworth Streets.
True to the Habitat model, new homeowners contribute 500 hours of “sweat equity” toward the construction of their own homes in exchange for the down payment. Mortgages are interest-free.
It’s Habitat for Humanity’s most ambitious project to date. A grant from HCF enabled the organization to hire a construction manager and build the eight townhomes in two phases instead of one at a time.
Affordable housing is critically important in Hamilton, where 5,000 people are on waiting lists and the price of home ownership has shot up more than 44 percent since 2001.
“HCF’s support was the spark we needed to go into the neighbourhood and make a difference,” says Bob.
Mary has just received the keys to her new home, which she calls “gorgeous.” She is excited and a little nervous. The home, she says, represents security and stability for her four children.
“It was an eye opener to me to see how much people care,” Mary says. She has made friends with the volunteers, particularly the 22 women from the YWCA’s Women in Trades program, who built the walls in Mary’s house.
Mary spent hundreds of hours measuring, hammering and sawing – skill development that will serve her well as a new homeowner. But the most important benefit, she says, is the pride she feels. “That’s my home. I built it,” she says. “It’s my sweat in there. Literally.”
| Vital Signs Facts • One in five Hamilton households spends more than half their income on rent • Since 2001, home ownership has become less affordable in Hamilton • Female lone parent families are twice as likely to experience poverty as two-parent families |