Province and Habitat for Humanity Celebrate World Habitat Day

Released on October 6, 2014

The United Nations designated the first Monday of October of every year as World Habitat Day to recognize the basic right of all humanity to adequate shelter, and encourage grassroots action toward empowering low income families through homeownership opportunities.  To commemorate this special day, a Habitat for Humanity partner family in Saskatoon officially became homeowners.

The four-bedroom, bi-level home received $50,000 in funding from the province through the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SHC).  Additional funding to support the project was provided by the City of Saskatoon and by the Delta Bessborough Hotel.

“On this World Habitat Day, our government is proud to support Habitat for Humanity and its efforts to provide Saskatchewan families with a safe, quality, and affordable home to call their own,” Saskatoon Eastview MLA Corey Tochor said on behalf of Social Services Minister and Minister responsible for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation Donna Harpauer.  “Bringing people together to help meet housing need is a goal that we and our partners share as we continue to put the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth into action.”

“We are very excited about the dedication of this home today,” Habitat for Humanity Saskatoon CEO Barb Cox-Lloyd said.  “We thank the Government of Saskatchewan, our donors, particularly the Delta Bessborough and the City of Saskatoon.  With their help and that of our many volunteers, we are able to provide a safe and affordable place for families to live and to provide a home for their children.  Our purpose at Habitat for Humanity is to strengthen communities by providing homes for low-income, working families. We encourage all members of the community to become involved in the building of these homes.”

Located at 125 Avenue T South, the home is approximately 941 square feet or 87 square metres over each of the main and basement levels and includes a finished basement.

In the 2014-15 Budget, the province committed an additional $750,000 through the SHC to help build an additional 12 new Habitat for Humanity homes throughout Saskatchewan.  This brings the government’s commitment to Habitat for Humanity to a total of $7.85 million since March 2009.

This funding supports builds in 12 communities across the province including Duck Lake, Fort Qu’Appelle, Humboldt, Lloydminster, Melfort, Moose Jaw, Nipawin, Prince Albert, Regina, Saskatoon, Weyburn and Yorkton.

SHC now provides $65,000 per home in funding for homes starting construction.  This is up from the $50,000 per home which was provided up to March 2014.
Habitat is one of the few organizations whose distinct delivery model continues to provide viable homeownership opportunities for low- to moderate-income families.  Each selected Habitat partner family contributes 500 partnering hours to build their home and other Habitat for Humanity homes, and participates in valuable training and preparation sessions. 

To learn more about Habitat for Humanity and their work across Saskatchewan, visit www.habitat.ca.

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For more information, contact:

Linda Saliken
Social Services
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0246
Email: linda.saliken@gov.sk.ca