Habitat For Humanity Red Deer Region will start construction on a duplex in southeast Red Deer in a couple weeks.
Officials, and the two families who will call the duplex home, gathered for an official ground-breaking ceremony on Thursday.
“After two very successful years of building four duplexes and housing eight families in the city of Lacombe, we’re really excited to be back building in Red Deer again. This is the area where we have the greatest need for affordable housing,” said Karen Vavrek, Habitat for Humanity Red Deer CEO.
“This newest duplex will be the future homes for 34th and 35th families served in our 24-year history.”
The non-profit Habitat for Humanity builds homes that are made available to low-income families through a no-down-payment, interest-free mortgage program.
The idea behind Habitat’s projects is to create affordable housing for working families. Whenever a family moves on, their home is returned to Habitat, which then performs any necessary repairs, and then seeks out a new family to move in.
Jonathon and Archana Brown and their children Trinity and Nathan will call one half of the Adamson Avenue duplex home.
Jonathon Brown said even though they have been working super hard, his family hasn’t been making enough money to own a home. But Habitat has given his family that opportunity.
“This has been a dream of ours since my wife and I have been together,” Brown said.
Jessica Rodriguez and her two-year-old son August will live in the other half of the duplex.
“Over the next eight months or so these families will be working extremely hard along side many Habitat volunteers to fulfill their 500 hours of sweat equity as they construct their future homes,” Vavrek said.
She said there are about 130 families on Habitat’s waiting list.
“We’re just going to keep going. We have lofty goals and we want to see them realized so we can serve more families in the future.”
She said the outpouring of support from the community is humbling.
“We haven’t even really gotten started here today but there’s been so many groups and organizations coming forward from Red Deer saying I want to be part of that next build, I want to volunteer, I want my employees to volunteer.”
Habitat has a new TeamBUILD program that allows businesses to contribute $1,500 tax-deductible donation to participate in a Habitat build.
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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