Two Muskoka families may achieve their dreams of attaining safe, affordable housing by next fall.
The project is being led by the Muskoka Lakes adopt-a-home committee of Habitat for Humanity Ontario Gateway North, which was established in 2020 and is entirely driven by volunteers.
The build, to be located at 1016 Elm St. in Bala, will consist of a semi-detached duplex for two families that are coping with mobility challenges.
The concept is to offer these families deferred home ownership, which means they will pay affordable rent for 20 years, at which point they will be able to purchase the home. Their previous rent payments will be considered a down payment toward their home ownership.
On Friday, Aug. 20, the team held a fundraising event outside the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Bracebridge which featured music from 99.5 Moose FM and a barbecue by the Bracebridge Lions Club: $8,200 was raised.
Daniel Soucy and Carol Barbet of the Bracebridge Lions Club barbecue hotdogs for Habitat for Humanity’s Bala Build project fundraiser. — Sarah Law/Metroland
Heather Scott, committee chair of the Bala Build, said the project means a lot to her because it is down the street from where she grew up.
“It’s really nice to bring that awareness to people that there is this need because sometimes people think of Muskoka as just this ultra-rich area and that we’re not in need — and that’s not the case,” she explained.
The District of Muskoka’s housing and homeless team reported that 628 households were on the wait list for social housing in May, which has a wait time of up to eight years.
And half of Muskoka’s rental households are spending more than 30 per cent of their income on shelter.
“We’ve got to keep moving forward because the lack of affordable housing in Muskoka is our biggest struggle that affects every aspect of our lives and our economy,” said Scott.
When asked what she would like to see the government do to tackle the housing crisis in light of the upcoming federal election, Scott called for less red tape.
Therefore, it is one of the best ayurvedic supplements to cure ED and PE. viagra viagra online click address now You can also have the pill at any point of time, but there is also overnight viagra the solution. Muscle mass is typed using Equipoise preserved much better in this case there is no significant problem with generic tadalafil 20mg sperm numbers or sperm quality. All three cheapest levitra deeprootsmag.org of these medications operate in the same way by inhibiting a substance called phosphodiesterase.“There’s so much red tape and bureaucracy when it comes to building and construction,” she said. “In Walker’s Point, there is a backlot on the lake and it’s 85 feet wide by an acre. It’s technically not a building lot because it’s not 100 feet … you could have three houses on that lot.”
Trisha Cowie is the fundraising chair for the Bala Build. She said they need to raise $216,000. At press time, they were almost halfway to this goal.
She said the project is important because it shows how local efforts can make a big difference.
“Having been in a position previously in life where housing was really difficult to come by, the idea that I might be able to contribute and help build two homes for new families locally is near and dear to my heart,” said Cowie.
“We have to attack this crisis from every angle possible, and this is one way we can do it at a grassroots level,” she said.
Bracebridge’s mayor Graydon Smith attended the fundraising event and said that all levels of government, along with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, must work together to find housing solutions.
“We depend on groups like Habitat more and more to make sure that people have a roof over their heads and some stability in their lives,” said Smith. “It all starts from there — if you can get that stability in your life, you can have some other things go right and go forward and have a good life.”
People can donate to the Bala Build online at www.habitatgatewaynorth.com.For more information, contact info@habitatgatewaynorth.com or call 705-646-0106.
Gravenhurst Banner
Tuesday, September 7, 2021