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Habitat for Humanity Edmonton welcomes new family in Beverly

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Habitat for Humanity Edmonton (HFHE) welcomed a family to its new home in the Beverly neighbourhood Wednesday.

 

The renovated house is one of five being fixed up through a unique partnership with the Metis Capital Housing Corporation (MCHC).

Eunice Crouter took ownership of the home with her four daughters -- aged 11, 13, 15 and 16 -- after the family put down 500 hours of "sweat equity" as a down payment.

"It feels good," she said, after opening the door. "I'm happy and excited for my family to have a home."

The partnership between the two non-profits and corporate sponsor Enbridge started three years ago with a pilot project to house five Metis families. The successful pilot was completed in the summer of 2012, and Wednesday's unveiling marked the first house in a second set of five.

MCHC executive director Darlene Lennie said affordable housing opportunities are lacking in Canada and her organization is "viciously" looking for options to give families more stability.

She said numerous studies show the benefits for families of owning versus renting homes.

Eunice and her family will pay an interest-free mortgage set at 25 per cent of her income for the north-side home, which is located within blocks of a school, a playground and a grocery store.

"You have to be responsible, dependable. It is not a free ride, nor should it ever be," Lennie said.

Lennie faced resistance from naysayers when the project began, but she said it has been an overwhelming success and proven that non-profit organizations can look past competition to work together.

"Our first families are doing excellent. If anybody (thought) that low-income families can't be homeowners, they're a true example that is a wrong perception," she said.

Edmonton-Riverview MLA Steve Young said the project is an "unbelievable example" of what can be achieved when government and the nonprofit, volunteer and corporate sectors unite.

HFHE President and CEO Alfred Nikolai said the partnership benefits everyone involved. Habitat saves money by renovating houses instead of starting from scratch; HFHE will help MCHC by investing the family's payments into another Metis family's house, and Eunice can better support her kids without the burden of paying monthly rent.

"It really is a win-win-win scenario," he said.

HFHE provided 81 families with homes in 2013.

kevin.maimann@sunmedia.ca

@SunKevinM 

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