Volunteers still needed
Aug 24, 2008 - 04:30 AM
By Jillian Follert
OSHAWA -- Slowly but surely, Oshawa's first Habitat for Humanity home is taking shape.
What was once a vacant lot on Dean Avenue is now a bustling construction site, where about a dozen volunteers gather five to six days a week.
Since shovels hit the ground in June, the basement has been dug out and now has a concrete floor and walls, with large spaces for windows.
Crews are hard at work this week on the framing for the upper portion of the raised bungalow.
"The volunteers are great; everyone's here because they want to be, they're all in a good mood all the time," said site supervisor Frank Mahoney, a retired northern Ontario resident and nine-year Habitat for Humanity volunteer, who made a special trip to Oshawa to oversee the city's first build. "No matter what I ask, even if it's a dirty, smelly job, I always end up with more volunteers than I need."
When the house is finished -- likely in late October -- it will be home to the Nolan family, Dianne and Kenneth and their four children, ages six to 14.
The Oshawa family has been renting for 12 years and now live in a house they can best describe as "run down."
They've thought about buying a home before, but Mr. Nolan is on disability and it's been tough to get approved for a realistic mortgage.
The family was ecstatic when they learned this spring they had been chosen to live in Oshawa's first Habitat home, and have been volunteering with the build nearly every day.
"The family is so happy and so appreciative, it almost brings me to tears," said Diane D'Altroy, an Oshawa resident who has volunteered on the site four days so far, serving food and working on the walls.
Ms. D'Altroy has the summer off because she works at a high school, but said she is surprised by how many fellow volunteers are using their few summer vacation days to work on the house.
"Being here with all these amazing people, it's a feeling that's hard to describe," she said.
To qualify for a Habitat home, families must demonstrate a need for a affordable housing and contribute 500 hours of volunteer labour, known as "sweat equity," toward the building of their house and houses for others.
In exchange, they receive a home with no down payment, an interest-free mortgage and monthly payments set at 30 per cent of the family's gross income.
Mr. Mahoney said volunteers are still needed for the Oshawa build, especially on weekdays. Volunteers do not need any previous construction experience, but must complete an orientation and safety course.
For more information, contact Habitat for Humanity Durham at info@habitatdurham.com or 905-852-5888, or visit www.habitatdurham.com
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