“I know you hear it all the time, but God truly made you part of His plan and I hope you understand how important your work is,” said Fiona Jimenez.
She and her family were celebrating their purchase of a house in Ingleside, the 21st safe, affordable home constructed by Habitat for Humanity Cornwall & The Counties.
The residence is the third dwelling built in 2024 by Habitat Cornwall after the first semi-detached homes were sold in Maxville earlier this year. Eligible families are offered an interest-free, geared-to-income mortgage, held by Habitat Cornwall which is used to build more local affordable homes. This means Habitat Cornwall is both the builder and the bank.
“With basic living costs on the rise, people are all dealing with higher grocery or fuel bills, rising rent or mortgage payments, higher utility bills or any other number of costs associated with everyday life,” said Leigh Taggart, Executive Director.
“Too many people are having to choose between food and paying bills, too many people are living in substandard, inadequate housing.”
She added, “I am pleased to share that for the first time, Habitat is including a garden box so the family can plant vegetables in the summer to help reduce food costs next year.”
Homeowners are offered the opportunity to purchase Habitat homes at fair market value with interest-free mortgage payments that never exceed 30 per cent of household income. The home is constructed with all new material, meets all provincial standards and exceeds national energy efficiency standards meaning many home utility bills are reduced.
A variety of local businesses made financial and in-kind contributions to assist with the completion of the homes. These donors all recognized the importance of stable, affordable housing for local families. The fact that funds raised locally, stay locally within this program, makes an even greater impact.
Major donations included $50,000 from Enbridge and $15,000 from the Robert Campeau Family Foundation.
St. Lawrence College’s Construction Technology class once again contributed the bulk of the initial labour.
To learn more about Habitat for Humanity contact Breckyn Caers at 613-938-0413, ext.4, at breckyn@habitatcornwall.org or visit the ReStore at 1400 Vincent Massey Dr., Cornwall or the website www.habitatcornwall.org
