Two Saugeen Shores families are on cloud nine right now, knowing they are the next recipients of the latest build for Habitat for Humanity Grey Bruce.
A ground-breaking ceremony was held on Friday on Wellington Street in Saugeen Shores, across from the BMX track behind Shopper’s Drug Mart in Port Elgin, for a semi-detached structure that will house the two families.
Habitat’s Executive Director Greg Fryer says this will be the 34th and 35th builds for Habitat for Humanity in Grey Bruce, that has located 56-adults and 83-children in affordable housing they can call their own.
The build should begin later in May with a completion date set for this August.
It will cost almost $400,000 to construct, with much of the supplies and labour being donated by businesses and volunteers, respectively.
The recipients are also expected to put in 350 hours of what is called “sweat equity” either through labour or serving on Habitat committees involved in the build.
Stephanie Shannon, along with her nine year old son Joshua and four year old daughter Jorja will have one semi while the other will be the property of Angela Richard and her 12 year old daughter Eugenie, who is in a wheelchair.
Shannon says if it hadn’t been for Habitat for Humanity, she would never be a home-owner and she believes her kids deserve to have their own home.
Richard says the accessible home not only gives them their own place, but for the first time her daughter will have a backyard that she can use.
Both families will purchase their homes at fair market value through a no-down-payment, no-interest mortgage with payments set at 25 per cent of gross income.
Fryer says they’ll be looking for volunteers to help build the homes, starting May 26th.
