10 families get keys to new Habitat homes
Ten more Regina families are now homeowners, courtesy of Habitat for Humanity of Regina.
The new houses are in Haultain Crossing, Habitat’s largest development in Saskatchewan and the second-largest in Canada. Monday’s “key ceremony” — handing over keys to the owners — also marked other milestones for Habitat, as the first laneway within the development was unveiled and the group completed its 106th home.
“I’m proof that all (Habitat Regina’s) hard work is making a huge difference,” Jackie Gerlach, one of the new homeowners, said in a news release issued Monday.
“When times have been tough though this process I’ve dusted myself off, hung on to my faith and pushed forward to change the legacy I’d be able to leave for my children. I want to inspire all the single parents out there that being a homeowner is possible for them.”
Construction in Haultain Crossing began in 2015 and is to be completed in five phases. By 2020, the development in the Eastview neighbourhood will hold 62 houses and be home to between 200 to 250 individuals.
Fourteen families have been living on site for more than a year in Phase 1, and now with Phase 2’s key ceremony, 10 more families will join the small community — for a total of 24.
Habitat Regina received funding for the homes’ construction from the federal and provincial governments, and the City of Regina. Habitat Regina has also worked with several local and provincial businesses to fund the construction of the homes within this phase. Two of the 10 homes were built by Trades and Skills Construction Apprenticeship Program (TASCAP) students.
The 10 families receiving homes put a combined 5,000 hours of work into the construction.
I want to inspire all the single parents out there that being a homeowner is possible for them.