Pair of families excited to get keys for new affordable homes in Forest

The keys to two affordable homes were handed over Friday in Forest and the timing couldn’t have been better, an official with the local home-building charity says.

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“It’s a wonderful and magical season and we at Habitat for Humanity Sarnia-Lambton couldn’t be happier to hand over the keys to these two families just before Christmas,” David Waters, the agency’s chief executive, said in a statement.

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Sod was turned in April 2022 to mark the start of construction of two four-bedroom houses – the charity’s 61^st and 62^n/a affordable homes in the region – and on Friday a key ceremony was held outside 70 and 72 Union St. in Forest to mark the project’s completion. During the ceremony, the keys were handed over to the Alkhalifa and Khalifeh families.

Hamza Khalifeh and Najah Khalifeh, who have three children, said they were extremely grateful for everything Habitat has done to help their family.

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“Thank you very much for your efforts and volunteers in achieving our dream. Each of my family members hopes to settle in a safe and warm home,” Hamza Khalifeh said in the statement. “It is a dream, or we can say a miracle and luck from God. I’m looking forward for my kids to have their own room and we are happy to have a place to call home. I’m grateful for Habitat and God for making this happen.”

The agency provides families, who contribute “sweat equity,” with affordable mortgages to purchase homes built with the help of volunteers, sponsors and donors. It’s part of Habitat’s affordable homeownership program.

“With affordable housing in Lambton County at an all-time low, Habitat for Humanity Sarnia-Lambton will continue to be an active proponent for change, advancement and social change with a mindset towards affordable housing here in our local community,” Waters said.

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Through the National Housing Strategy, the federal government has invested $100,000 into these homes in Forest, bringing the non-profit one-step closer to creating 1,117 affordable homes across country, the statement said.

“The federal government is committed to working with partners like Habitat for Humanity to ensure that all Canadians have a safe and affordable place to call their own,” Sean Fraser, the minister of housing, infrastructure and communities, said. “I am proud that we supported these homes and am thrilled to see these two families get their keys today. I wish them happiness and success as they start this new chapter in their lives.”

The government and the national agency announced in March an additional $25 million investment to build 500 new affordable homes across Canada over the next three years. This brings the total federal investment in Habitat for Humanity to nearly $81 million through the Government of Canada’s National Housing Co-Investment Fund, the statement said.

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Habitat for Humanity Sarnia-Lambton officials also credited the local Lambton Shores government and many other generous supporters who helped turn these homes into a reality for the two families.

The Khalifeh family came to Canada from war-torn Syria in 2016. They were sponsored by residents of Forest. Abdullah Alkhalifa and wife Badour Alzuh, who have two children, said they can’t wait to have a place to call their own.

Elsewhere in the region, a sod-turning ceremony was held in June for two semi-detached homes on Emma Street in Sarnia, the 77^th and 78^th built by Habitat for Humanity in Sarnia since its first home project in 1994. Next year’s project is expected to be construction of several tiny homes at a site on Christina Street.

-with files from Paul Morden

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