A total of 64 Edmonton families are set for a new life this year as they will be given affordable housing by Habitat for Humanity Edmonton (HFH).
The site’s construction in Neufeld Landing community, 11403 – 17 Ave. will start on 17 January. HFH claims it will be the biggest affordable housing the organisation has ever built in the country.
Alfred Nikolai, president and chief executive of HFH Edmonton said that they used to rely on infill sites for build locations. This meant more expenses, as they redistributed previously established buildings or land in order to develop affordable housing.
The Neufeld Landing site, in effect, gives the Edmonton branch a chance to build higher-quality homes at a much lower cost instead.
“The bottom line is that affordable housing is a real issue right across Canada” he said.
“The reason for that is because people's salaries, their cost of living hasn't kept up with the amount they have to pay for their accommodation … So that is the dilemma across Canada, but especially here in Edmonton, where a two-bedroom apartment can get to $1,400.”
Nikolai added that HFH housings help lessen the financial burden of Canadians in need because the homes are paid for through donations and volunteer labour. Residents are only required to allot 25% of their income to the mortgage on their new HFH home.
“We have skilled plumbers and carpenters (as volunteers), and we have people who have never picked up a hammer or saw before,” he said.
The site’s construction in Neufeld Landing community, 11403 – 17 Ave. will start on 17 January. HFH claims it will be the biggest affordable housing the organisation has ever built in the country.
Alfred Nikolai, president and chief executive of HFH Edmonton said that they used to rely on infill sites for build locations. This meant more expenses, as they redistributed previously established buildings or land in order to develop affordable housing.
The Neufeld Landing site, in effect, gives the Edmonton branch a chance to build higher-quality homes at a much lower cost instead.
“The bottom line is that affordable housing is a real issue right across Canada” he said.
“The reason for that is because people's salaries, their cost of living hasn't kept up with the amount they have to pay for their accommodation … So that is the dilemma across Canada, but especially here in Edmonton, where a two-bedroom apartment can get to $1,400.”
Nikolai added that HFH housings help lessen the financial burden of Canadians in need because the homes are paid for through donations and volunteer labour. Residents are only required to allot 25% of their income to the mortgage on their new HFH home.
“We have skilled plumbers and carpenters (as volunteers), and we have people who have never picked up a hammer or saw before,” he said.
