Santhiago Avila knows firsthand the challenges of living in cramped quarters with multiple families under one roof. As Calgary’s population continues to grow, so too does the cost of housing and rent. Habitat for Humanity is stepping in to help ease this pressure by building affordable housing for families in need.
On Monday, Habitat for Humanity kicked off their second annual industry build event in the northeast community of Livingston, with more than 100 volunteers helping to build townhomes. The organization is developing $24 million in affordable housing for southern Alberta, with the Livingston development worth $9.8 million.
This development will provide 24 units of housing, giving 24 families the opportunity to start a new life in a stable and affordable home. Avila knows how emotional it will be for these families when they finally move into their new homes.
Avila’s own home was built by Habitat for Humanity, and he says it has made a world of difference for his family. “It felt unreal … It felt like we could actually call a place home because my whole life we had been either living with my grandparents in their house or my aunt in her house, so we didn’t really have a place that we could call home until we could move into a Habitat home,” Avila said.
Habitat for Humanity’s homes are sold with affordable mortgages that have no down payment or interest, making homeownership possible for families who may not otherwise be able to afford it. “So many of the families that we meet… They’ve done everything right. They have a really good job, they’re trying to be really good parents, but the cost of living in Calgary is such that it can be very difficult for a lot of families,” said Gerrad Oishi, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity in southern Alberta.
“Our focus at Habitat is families, particularly families with multiple children. We feel like that has the greatest impact for our community long term is to get all these children in a stable household, because we know those kids will thrive.”
QR Calgary radio host and volunteer Andrew Schultz said, “I think that the power of this is it’s Calgarians helping Calgarians and that these are your friends, your family perhaps… and to have that tangible nature of a project like this is fantastic.
