Core Mandate to Help Families Has Remained Consistent
The nationwide housing crisis in Canada and the pandemic are two reasons Habitat for Humanity in Prince Edward Island is revamping the way they build homes.
According to executive director Pam Montgomery, this would the non-profit organization announced they will begin using modular homes for their PEI residences. Habitat for Humanity traditionally builds homes from the ground up, requiring volunteer work from partner families and community members. Contactors booked for conventional construction and the shortage of building materials led the organization to consider the modular construction method.
Although things look slightly different, the core mandate of helping families access safe and affordable housing has remained strong.
There are three main requirements that partner families must demonstrate to access a home through Habitat for Humanity, the first being the need for housing. Second, they must show that they can accept the challenges associated with owning a home and contribute 30% of their gross income to an affordable mortgage. Finally, they must be willing to partner with the organization to contribute 500 volunteer hours to construct their home. With the alterations to the construction process, volunteer hours can now be obtained by working at the ReStore or volunteering with other community partners. Regardless, there will always be decks and sheds to build and paint.
Applications opened a couple of weeks ago for the Souris and Georgetown builds, which are expected to start in the Fall of this year.
Making It Through the Pandemic
To learn more about this new phase of Habitat for Humanity in Prince Edward Island, go to PEICanada.com:
“‘We had pretty much shut down through Covid and 2021 was a rebuilding year for us just to get a handle on capacity and staffing,’ Ms Montgomery said.
‘We made a plan to commit to do six homes between 2022 and 2023 on six properties we own in Souris, Georgetown and Harrington.’
‘Yes, it certainly looks different from a traditional habitat build, but there will still be lots of opportunities for volunteers and community engagement in the process,’ Ms Montgomery said.
‘It may not have the same ‘raise the roof’ kind of feel to it, but it is hard for us to build like that anymore, these days anyway,’ she added, explaining that the national building code regulations, efficiency standards and constraints on volunteerism due to Covid all play a role.
‘Our builds are going to look different going forward regardless of what type of construction we use,’ Ms Montgomery said.”
From Habitat for Humanity Turns to Modular Homes During Housing Crisis - PEI Canada
Photo Source: WIX - www.wix.com
Have you ever volunteered with or benefited from the services provided by Habitat for Humanity? How do you feel about the changes?
Written by S2A Modular & Associates Inc.
July 6th, 2022