Released on June 5, 2017
The governments of Canada and Saskatchewan are working with Habitat for Humanity and partners by helping house Canadians, while providing educational opportunities and strengthening Canadian communities.Today, 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 Crown Investments Corporation Minister and Prince Albert Carlton MLA Joe Hargrave on behalf of Social Services Minister and Minister Responsible for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SHC) Tina Beaudry-Mellor, officially launched the construction of two new two Habitat for Humanity homes in Prince Albert.
“There is a great deal of work and co-operation that takes place during Habitat for Humanity builds such as these – the Government of Canada, along with the Government of Saskatchewan, is a proud partner,” said Goodale. “These investments will make a long-lasting difference in the lives of two families who will soon call these homes their own. Our government remains committed to develop and implement solutions to housing both in Saskatchewan and across Canada.”
“Our government understands that having a safe and affordable place to call home is important to Saskatchewan people and their communities,” Hargrave said. “We are pleased to work with the Government of Canada and Habitat for Humanity to help two Saskatchewan families invest in their futures, and build long-term stability and self-reliance. We thank everyone involved for being a part of the solution and for keeping Saskatchewan strong.”
“The sod turning for these two new homes marks a turning point for the families who will soon be living in them,” Habitat for Humanity Prince Albert Executive Director John van Leeuwen said. “As we work alongside them to build their new homes, we are proud to be helping them build stability and financial security into their lives. We welcome them to the Prince Albert Habitat for Humanity family. As we build their homes we are also building into their community and as we see our families grow and thrive, so too do we want to see the City of Prince Albert flourish. Together we are building stability, one family at a time.”
Quick facts:
- The first home, located at 1351 - 16th Street West, will be a three-bedroom bungalow approximately 1,175 square feet (109 square metres) with a partially developed basement. The Government of Canada, through CMHC, along with the Government of Saskatchewan, through SHC, jointly contributed close to $56,000 to build the home through the 2014-2019 Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH) Agreement.
- This home is being 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 Prince Albert. Habitat supplies construction materials and Polytech provides labour.
- The second home, located at 1365 - 16th Street West, received $50,000 in federal/provincial funding through the IAH Agreement. The home will be a three-bedroom bungalow approximately 1,175 square feet or 109 square metres with a developed basement. This home is being built through a partnership between Habitat and CORCAN (Correctional Service Canada). CORCAN works with inmates through the certified vocational training programs to build houses, and Habitat provides construction materials.
- The province’s overall commitment to Habitat for Humanity totals $9.8 million since March 2009. Of this amount, the federal and provincial governments have invested $2 million, thanks to the Social Infrastructure Fund, under the two most recent agreements between Saskatchewan and Habitat for Humanity.
- Habitat for Humanity’s innovative delivery model provides opportunities for families to stabilize their housing and to achieve their homeownership goals. Each partner family selected by Habitat for Humanity 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.
- CMHC has been helping Canadians meet their housing needs for more than 70 years. 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 Canadian governments, consumers and the housing industry. Prudent risk management, strong corporate governance and transparency are cornerstones of CMHC’s operations. For more information, please call 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc.ca or follow CMHC Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.
- 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 $750 million to develop or repair more than 15,500 housing units across our province.
For more information, contact:
Young Ong
Canada Morgage and Housing Corporation
Calgary
Phone: 403-515-2962
Email: yong@cmhc-schl.gc.ca
Leya Moore
Social Services
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0246
Email: leya.moore@gov.sk.ca