From dream to desperation: family caught in housing crisis after Habitat project in limbo

A Brantford family’s dream of moving into a Habitat for Humanity home has turned to desperation.

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Aaron Creery, his wife Amanda and their four children, were all smiles when they gathered with local dignitaries for a ground-break ceremony at 200 Brantwood Park Rd. in mid-December 2021.

Plans called for them to move into one of 56 townhouses to be built on the site near Dunsdon Street.

But now, more than two-and-a-half years later, nothing has happened on the site. There is a large sign with an artist’s rendering of the plan, another sign with the names of sponsors and a Habitat For Humanity trailer.

“Our previous landlord was willing for us to stay at his house until the Habitat house was built,” Creery said. “He gave us an extra two years to stay there.

“But when the project never came, he evicted us and moved into his own house, we had to move and now our rent has doubled from what it was.”

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The family’s rent has increased to $2,500 a month plus utilities from $1,200 a month. Both parents work full-time and have a combined income of $4,000 per month.

“We’re desperate, we’re on the verge of becoming homeless,” Creery said. “Our current landlord is ready to move on from us because we can’t afford the rent.”

“We have four kids and it’s starting to take a toll on them.”

The children range in age from five to 12 years.

Sean Ferris, interim CEO of Habitat for Humanity Heartland Ontario, which serves Brantford, said finding a builder for the project has become extremely difficult.

Input costs for construction are at an all-time high and high interest rates are making debt financing expensive, Ferris said.

“As a result, when you put together the pro formas (documents) there isn’t a viable business case at the moment,” Ferris said. “Nobody will front the funds for this project to happen.”

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Habitat is continuing to speak with investors to look for ways to make the project work, Ferris said.
“The other option is to sit on the property and wait for things to turnaround and be hopeful, understanding that there are no guarantees,” Ferris said.

But that’s not a palatable option because there are families waiting for a home.

Another option would be to look at rezoning the property to get a viable business case for a project. But that process has costs, takes time and comes with no guarantees, Ferris said.

Yet another possibility is selling the property and look for other ways to build smaller scale homes that don’t require as much upfront capital.

“The board is exploring all of those options and we’re working hard every day to find a solution,” Ferris said. “It is an extremely challenging environment.

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“I’m hopeful that interest rates will drop and if that happens, that will be a huge opportunity for building to ramp up.”

Ferris is hoping developers or others who can facilitate developments, will hear about the problem facing Habitat and the families it serves and come forward with solutions.

“We’re all about bringing the community together,” Ferris said. “It’s part of our mandate and if there are those willing to partner with us to get something done we’d sure like to hear from them.”

At the time of the ground-breaking ceremony plans called for the project to include one, two, and three-bedroom units with 32 available for purchase through Habitat’s home ownership program. The remaining units were to be sold to non-Habitat families to help generate funds for the project.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the city said there are supports available to help those experiencing housing instability.

Individuals and families can apply to the rent-geared to income or affordable market rent wait list and explore options with other affordable private housing providers.

They can get support through the Housing Resource Center for help with a housing search.

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