The local housing crisis will get some help this year as Habitat for Humanity Sunshine Coast seeks families to join its affordable home ownership program. Four new homes are being built in the Sunshine Coast Village at ts’ukw’um (Wilson Creek) with the final building on this site, a fourplex (two up and two down) offering two-bedroom homes suitable for smaller families. One of the homes will be fully wheelchair accessible. Construction of the new fourplex has started and is expected to be completed this fall.
Habitat is commencing the process of seeking suitable applicant families for the four new homes.
“A key part of this process is informing interested community members about the requirements for acceptance into Habitat’s affordable housing program. We have arranged for two in-person meetings and two Zoom sessions during the week of Feb. 14 to 18, and I encourage any family interested in looking at Habitat housing to first attend one of our information sessions,” said Richard (“Hergy”) Hergesheimer, chair of the Family Services Committee.
Habitat looks for a certain family profile with defined levels of income, family composition and a willingness to complete 500 hours of volunteer sweat equity as a deposit on home ownership. For details on Habitat housing please see Home-Ownership – Habitat For Humanity Sunshine Coast BC (habitatsc.ca).
Habitat currently has 12 families living at its Sunshine Coast Village. The fourplex will be the final building on the site and complete the village development providing quality affordable homes for 16 families. Habitat is also looking to the future by opening up discussions with developers, realtors, builders, municipal authorities and others with a view to securing additional property on which to build more affordable homes on the Coast. Habitat invites interested members of the community to forward ideas on property that might be available to Habitat to construct new homes and to offer suggestions as to how Habitat can best serve our communities on the Sunshine Coast.
