Released on January 24, 2019
The Government of Canada, the Government of Saskatchewan and Habitat for Humanity (Habitat) have partnered to help two families realize their dreams of homeownership in Prince Albert.
Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, on behalf of Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and Member of the Legislative Assembly for Saskatchewan Rivers Nadine Wilson, on behalf of Social Services Minister and Minister Responsible for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SHC) Paul Merriman, made the announcement today.
The first home, located at 1351 - 16th Street West, is the third home built through a partnership between Habitat and Saskatchewan Polytechnic Institute (Polytech) in Prince Albert that provides applied education for carpentry students while supporting affordable homeownership options in the community. The second home, located at 1365 - 16th Street West, is a three-bedroom bungalow built through a partnership between Habitat and CORCAN (Correctional Service Canada).
“Through the National Housing Strategy, our government is investing $40 billion to cut chronic homelessness in half through projects like this one,” said Goodale. “Our government is proud to partner with Habitat for Humanity to make a real difference in the lives of two families in Prince Albert, ensuring they have a place they can proudly call their own.”
“Our government is pleased to work with our partners to help make a long-lasting difference in the lives of two Prince Albert families in need of a stable, safe and affordable home,” Wilson said. “We believe in standing up for Saskatchewan people, and I am pleased that this funding represents this commitment in action.”
“Prince Albert Habitat for Humanity is proud to celebrate the completion of two new family homes in our community,” Habitat for Humanity Prince Albert Executive Director Jan Thomas said. “We would like to thank the many build volunteers who participated and their hours upon hours of help from both Saskatchewan Polytechnic and Riverbend Institution here in Prince Albert. Habitat would also like to thank the Government of Saskatchewan and the Government of Canada for their ongoing support. Speaking on behalf of these new Habitat homeowners, we are truly blessed to have such a generous community willing to invest in bettering the lives of our fellow citizens.”
Quick facts:
- The Government of Canada, through CMHC, along with the Government of Saskatchewan, through SHC, jointly contributed $106,000 toward the construction of the two homes under the Canada-Saskatchewan Investment in Affordable Housing Agreement.
- The province’s overall commitment to Habitat totals $10.85 million since March 2009. This total includes $1 million announced with the 2018-19 provincial budget, with funding from the Canada-Saskatchewan Investment in Affordable Housing Agreement.
- This investment supports Saskatchewan’s Housing Strategy goals of ensuring Saskatchewan people have access to affordable, safe, secure and stable housing.
- Each single-family home is a three-bedroom bungalow approximately 1,175 square feet or 109 square metres.
- The Government of Canada is currently rolling out its National Housing Strategy, an ambitious 10-year, $40 billion plan that will create 100,000 new housing units and lift 530,000 families out of housing need, as well as repair and renew more than 300,000 housing units and reduce chronic homelessness by 50 per cent.
- Each partner family selected by Habitat contributes 500 partnering hours in building their home or other Habitat homes. The family purchases their home at fair market value, paying an interest-free, zero down-payment mortgage set at 25 per cent of their annual gross income. Upon completion, the affordable no-interest mortgage is provided by Habitat to partner families with mortgage payments going back for future builds. To learn more about Habitat for Humanity and their work across Saskatchewan, visit www.habitat.ca.
Associated Links:
- As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. For more information, please visit www.cmhc.ca or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook. To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, visit www.placetocallhome.ca.
- In October 2012, the Government of Saskatchewan released the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth: Vision 2020 and Beyond, which sets out the government’s vision for a province of 1.2 million people by 2020. The plan identifies principles, goals and actions to ensure Saskatchewan is capturing the opportunities and meeting the challenges of a growing province. Since 2007, the Government of Saskatchewan has invested more than $780 million to develop or repair more than 16,000 housing units across our province. To learn more, visit www.saskatchewan.ca.
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For more information, contact:
Valerie Glazer
Office of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
Ottawa
Phone: 819-654-5546
Email: valerie.glazer@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Leonard Catling
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Vancouver
Phone: 604-787-1787
Email: lcatling@cmhc-schl.gc.ca
Leya Moore
Social Services
Regina
Phone: 306-787-3610
Email: leya.moore@gov.sk.ca
