| Aug 01, 2013


Last Friday, July 26, on one of those rare Goldilocks summer afternoons, the Strong Women Drum kicked off a short ceremony to mark the spot where in the next few months the first Habitat for Humanity House in Frontenac County will be going up.

The Kingston/Frontenac chapter of Habitat for Humanity Canada has built 11 homes thus far. The first 10 were in the City of Kingston, and the 11th was in the village of Bath.

The move into the surrounding rural areas from the organization’s base in Kingston is the fulfilment of one of the goals of the chapter to expand into the entire region. According to interim CEO Tim Jamieson, it is also based on the reality that “it is becoming harder and harder to find affordable land in the city itself.”

Since the organisation is entirely supported by donations of labour, materials and cash, the cost of land is a major concern.

“We were fortunate that Rick and Cathy Goodfellow offered up a building lot in Tichborne to us at a very reasonable price,” said Jamieson, “and since we know there is a need in Central Frontenac, it was great fit.”

The project will be built with the assistance of Kingston’s prison population. Corrections Canada is one of Habitat’s partners in Kingston, and through an inmate training program in the construction trades, the outer shell of the house will be built in Kingston and shipped in two pieces to the site in Tichborne. A couple of weeks before that happens, another crew of inmates will travel up to the site and will help put the cement foundation in.

“Somewhere around the beginning of October, the building will arrive and the rest of the work on the house will begin, with help from local volunteers and others,” said Jamieson.

The site already has a well and septic system in place, thanks to the efforts of Davy Well Drilling and Nedow Construction and the on-site construction phase will be supervised by Tarasick Construction.

The family selection is slated for this month, and although the criteria for eligible families is rather strict, (the family income level must be over $29,000 but under $59,000 and the family must not already own a home) there are three local families who are still in consideration for selection.

The family that is selected will be obligated to provide 200 hours worth of labour to the project. When the home is completed they will purchase it and take on a mortgage, but the difference between the Habitat home and others is that no down payment will be required and the mortgage will be interest-free.

“The goal for this project is to provide a family a way out of the renting cycle. For what it is costing them now to rent, they will be able to purchase their own home and provide the level of security to their children that comes with home ownership,” said Jamieson.

The ground breaking marks a new kick start for the Tichborne build. It had been panned for May, but the CEO of Habitat Greater Kingston and Frontenac left his job abruptly in early May for personal reasons. With a vacuum at the top of the small organization it was necessary to take a step back.

“There was also a problem with financing at the time, which has since been worked out with the bank,” said Tim Jamieson, who is the Vice-President of the Habitat Kingston Board and has stepped in as CEO until a permanent individual is hired, which is expected to happen within a month.

The Tichborne Habitat home should be ready for occupancy in the early part of 2014.

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