Government and Habitat Help Three Regina Families Achieve Homeownership

Released on April 28, 2015

Three Regina families will soon be living in a home of their own, thanks to support from the Government of Saskatchewan, Habitat for Humanity (Habitat) and other community partners.  The families received keys to their new homes at a special ceremony held today.

The Habitat Plains project, located at 4102 - 3rd Avenue North, consists of nine homes for Regina families with low incomes.  The first three homes were officially opened in February 2015.  The remaining three homes are under construction.

The province contributed a total of $700,000 in funding to support the entire Habitat Plains Project.  Each of the nine homes received $50,000 in provincial funding and $250,000 was contributed to Habitat for the acquisition of the land through Saskatchewan Housing Corporation’s Summit Action Fund.  Additional funding for these three homes was provided by Farm Credit Canada, the Mosaic Company, Northridge Development Corporation, Miller Thomson Law Firm, Enbridge Pipelines Inc., the City of Regina and Big Dog 92.1.

“Our government is delighted to see three more Saskatchewan families move into Habitat Plains and begin a brighter future, starting with a home of their own,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister and Minister responsible for the Provincial Capital Commission Mark Docherty said on behalf of Social Services Minister and Minister responsible for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation Donna Harpauer.  “Initiatives like this support our goal of keeping Saskatchewan strong by collaborating with others to provide safe and affordable housing for Saskatchewan citizens.”

“It has been amazing to see the friendships develop between these three homeowners, they have been together since the beginning and now will build new futures together in their new homes,” Habitat for Humanity Regina CEO Kelly Holmes-Binns said.  “Partnerships and friendships have built these homes from the ground up and we sincerely thank all our partners and volunteers who have been instrumental in completing these homes.”

Each of the three homes completed in the second phase of this nine-unit townhouse-style condominium development is approximately 1,674 square feet or 155 square metres across all three floors.  This total includes the fully developed basements, main floor and second floor.

Since March 2009, the province’s overall commitment to Habitat totals $7.85 million and includes the January 2013 approval of $0.60 million from the province’s Summit Action Fund.  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.

The province now provides $65,000 per home in funding for homes starting construction.  This is up from the $50,000 per home which was provided prior to March 2014.  Habitat’s innovative delivery model provides opportunities for families to stabilize their housing and to achieve their homeownership goals.

Each partner family selected by Habitat contributes 500 partnering hours in building their home, or other Habitat homes.

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

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For more information, contact:

Leya Moore
Social Services
Regina
Phone: 306-787-3610
Email: leya.moore@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-519-7835