Habitat for Humanity Melfort's lot on Burrows Ave W is ready for a house, but how big it's going to be is still a question (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff).

By Aaron Schulze

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity taking in applications for future Melfort home

May 26, 2019 | 8:23 AM

Habitat for Humanity Melfort has its lot and funds to start the build of another affordable home, although one key aspect is still missing before they can continue:

A family.

Habitat is looking for lower-income families with children under the age of 18 that have a maximum annual income of $52,000. The family also needs to have had stable employment for one year.

Allison Wunder, family selection representative for Habitat for Humanity Melfort, told northeastNOW they can’t continue the building process until they have a family chosen to live in the future home and they know what their needs are.

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“We do have a lot on Burrows Ave West that the city has provided to the Habitat,” Wunder said. “We won’t decide what structure we’re building until we have a family in place and then we’ll know how many bedrooms we’ll have and what the actual needs are.”

Habitat’s goal is to create affordable housing for families that are struggling to find safe and secure places to live.

In order to help families with their financial situation, Habitat receives a different kind of down payment.

“Instead of having a down payment as you would during a traditional mortgage, we accept sweat equity hours as a down payment,” Wunder said. “Each family is required to have a minimum 500 volunteer hours with Habitat for Humanity, and we accept that as their down payment for the home.”

Wunder said the final cost of the home is never decided until the very end, as Habitat won’t be sure how much materials it’ll need to build a house, although they do receive donations from local businesses. The final calculation of what the house’s mortgage will be is based according to an assessment.

Once a family is moved into the future home – the third built by Habitat for Humanity Melfort – Wunder said they hope to get started on another project.

“We’re hoping that as long as the need is available in our community, we can continue to support these marginalized families,” she said.

Families have until June 15 to send in their applications. They can pick up applications at RE/MAX in the Melfort Mall or contact Habitat for Humanity Melfort on Facebook.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow