Mission will soon have some much needed affordable housing.
Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver has begun the construction of 19 new townhomes for low to middle income working families in Mission. It is the first Habitat for Humanity project in the community.
The official sod turning ceremony took place Monday morning with representatives from Mission council and Habitat For Humanity on hand to celebrate the occasion.
The homes will be located at 32588 Cedar Valley Connector, by Briskham Street.
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“While we’ve only been underway for a few months the connections that we’ve made are significant,” said Stephani Baker, vice-president of construction.
“It will be an exciting metamorphosis as we see the buildings come up out of the ground and have all the volunteers from the community come out and participate in changing the overall landscape of this space and of the community as a whole.”
Baker said they are still looking for families for the homes and the application process is still ongoing. She also said more volunteers are always needed.
Also on hand for the ceremony was Habitat for Humanity GV board chair Jeff Davis who thanked everyone for getting the project this far along.
“Getting to this point is always the hardest part of the project. There is still a whole bunch of work yet to do,” said Davis.
He said the day that you get to hand families the keys to their new home, is the “day where you see lives transform.”
Mission Mayor Pam Alexis called the project a great fit for the community.
“This is significant. We have such a shortage of housing that is affordable for families and we are viewed as an affordable community. Our prices now are really difficult for a lot of 35-45 year olds that are coming into the market,” said Alexis.
The 19 homes are expected to be completed in June.
About the group:
One of 54 Habitat for Humanity affiliates across Canada, Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver provides a hand up out of the poverty rental cycle for hard-working local families. Habitat for Humanity builds safe and affordable housing as a first step into the traditional housing market by providing families with an equity build model based on monthly lease payments capped at 30% of family income.
For more information visit: www.habitatgv.ca
kevin.mills@missioncityrecord.com
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