As with just about everywhere else in Saskatchewan, Humboldt is feeling the housing crunch.
Boom times in this province have led to astronomical housing prices and sky-high rents, leaving many struggling to find affordable accommodations.
Habitat for Humanity wants to help.
Barb Cox-Lloyd, executive director of the Saskatoon chapter of Habitat for Humanity (HFH), was in Humboldt recently for a meeting with community leaders. Present were representatives of the City of Humboldt, local churches and community groups, as well as businesses interested in lending a hand. All hope to address what is fast becoming a crisis now facing lower income families.
"There was a lot of positive response," Cox-Lloyd said of the meeting. "We're pretty excited about that."
Westminster United Church Minister Brenda Curtis is one of the local organizers overseeing efforts to strike up a joint effort to build affordable housing here. She said HFH Saskatoon has been looking to pair with a nearby community, and Humboldt appears to be an excellent fit.
"We're really looking forward to establishing a partnership," Curtis said. "If the community support is there - and so far, it seems it is - this is something that could be really good for Humboldt."
A citywide meeting is set for 7 p.m. Thursday, April 14 at the Seniors' Hall. Members of the public are welcome to attend. Cox-Lloyd will be on hand to provide further details.
Humboldt's situation is essentially an "adopt a home" process that would see a dwelling built here under the supervision of the HFH Saskatoon branch. HFH would contribute a base amount of $50,000 per unit to the project, and would hold the no-interest mortgage on the property.
"If that's the only one they want to build, that's great," Cox-Lloyd said. "But if they wanted to do more in the future, we could end up formalizing a chapter there (in Humboldt)."
If that happened, Cox-Lloyd said, we could see a new HFH home built in Humboldt every one to two years.
The general consensus so far is that a duplex would be the best option for Humboldt, so HFH's financial contribution would be $100,000. That would come out of their $1.5 million annual grant from the provincial government.
Cox-Lloyd estimates each single-family dwelling costs about $150,000 to build, whereas duplexes run about $200,000. Depending on the price of land in Humboldt, she said in addition to the $100,000 in grant money from the government, Humboldt residents would need to raise between $75,000 and $100,000 to fund the project here. Donations in building materials and other "gifts in kind" could bring that amount down, she noted.
Labour on HFH housing projects is done by volunteers, under the supervision of qualified professionals.
As HFH typically begins its construction season in early fall, Cox-Lloyd is confident that should Humboldt wish to go ahead with building an HFH home, the home could be ready for families to move in by next spring.
"Typically we will pour the foundations in September, then all the framing and exterior work would be done before the cold hits in late fall, so that way most of the rest of the work can be done indoors over the winter," Cox-Lloyd explained.
Curtis noted that timeline works very well with the various apprenticeship programs at Carlton Trail Regional College (CTRC), so students there could be utilized as a labour source.
In terms of selecting a family for each unit, HFH looks at several criteria. In order to be eligible, the family must have at least one child, and have an income of less than $52,000 a year. They must also be willing to contribute 500 hours of "sweat equity" into building the home. That "sweat equity" takes the place of a down payment.
Cox-Lloyd said it's hard to put an exact number on just how serious the province's current housing crisis is. She notes that in Saskatoon, there are approximately 7,500 families who are either homeless or without adequate funding to maintain a home.
HFH will be starting building eight "doors" in Saskatoon this year (one single-family home, plus two duplexes and a triplex), and they're currently finishing up the six units they started last year (one duplex and a fourplex)
"We're not going to make a big dent in the problem ourselves, but we're doing what we can," she said.
Saskatoon HFH is also doing a "women's build" this year, where the entire house will be built by female labour. Cameco has sponsored that project, and will be bringing in a contruction trainer to familiarize women with the various tools and procedures of the trade.
"It's a terrific way to encourage women to get involved, both in our efforts, and in the trades," Cox-Lloyd said.
Habitat for Humanity branches operate in Saskatoon, Regina, Lloydminster and Prince Albert. Yorkton and Moose Jaw have chapters that are affiliated with the Regina branch.
