Habitat for Sarnia-Lambton has plans to build more housing during the next two years.
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The agency, which traditionally builds two homes a year, has designs for five each in 2025 and 2026.
“It’s aggressive,” but doable, said CEO David Waters.
In 2025, plans are for four homes in row-style housing on Union Street in Forest, plus another around the corner on Wellington Street, he said.
“We had a good piece of land that we’ve had for a number of years,” allowing for that project, he said.
Another five homes in Sarnia are planned the following year, part of a tiny townhouse project planned for Christina Street.
This project was slated for 2025but is being pushed back for safety and security reasons, given an active tent encampment across the street in Rainbow Park, Waters said.
Details about those projects, ongoing builds in Sarnia’s Coronation Park neighborhood — the agency’s 77th and 78th homes since 1994 — and other programs the 42-employee company offers are on the agenda for an upcoming open house, Waters said.
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The Nov. 7 event, from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Sarnia Library theater, with about an hour anticipated at the end for questions and answers, is being held to raise awareness about what Habitat does in the community, Waters said.
It comes amid ongoing conversations about how to solve a housing crisis in the community, Ontario and Canada, he said.
Habitat “gets lost sometimes” in conversations about creating more sustainable and affordable housing, he said, despite building housing in the community for 30 years.
“And we sort of want to bring some light to what we’re doing,” Waters said.
Many, for instance, don’t know the agency offers home repair and lawn care services, he said, along with building homes with affordable mortgages — with the help of volunteers, sponsors and donors — for families who contribute “sweat equity.”
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Repair and lawn care services were provided to about 500 families in 2023, he said, noting the agency’s Habitat handyman program, started in 2016, is considered the “best of the best” among Habitat agencies in Canada.
“I’ve had conversations with people in the (United) States … all over, trying to copy this program,” Waters said.
The lawn care program is in its third year, he said.
Money raised through the programs goes toward building projects, he said.
“Everything we do goes to that,” he said, noting traditionally Habitat raises about $500,000 a year to fund two homes.
It’s important to remember families are affected by the housing crisis, not just individuals, he said.
“So, we want to bring light to that as well.”
with files from Paul Morden
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