Two more families on the Sunshine Coast have a safe and permanent place to call home thanks to Habitat for Humanity's homeowner program.
Shayla Keelan and her children Georgia and Nolan and Irene Bremer and her kids Niamh and Taran moved into their new, adjoining homes April 1.
"It means a washer and dryer," first-time homeowner Bremer said laughing when she spoke with Coast Reporter at last Saturday's dedication ceremony at their new home in Sechelt. "I have a sense of freedom."
The duplex is the second project built by the Sunshine Coast chapter of Habitat. Habitat's first home is located in Gibsons.
"It makes me really proud and happy to be here and be a part of this community and be a part of Habitat," said family liasion chair Deborah Pepper.
The Saturday celebration started with African harpists Linda Williams and Gwen Gingrich playing in the front yard as volunteers, the families and public mixed. Gaetan Bergevin sang a dedication to the families and Raven's Cry Theatre, Gibsons Cinema and the Sechelt Aquatic Centre donated passes to both families. The Sunshine Coast Quilters' Guild presented the families with quilts and Gwen Hawkins, faith relations chair, and pastor Keith Peterson from Living Faith Lutheran Church administered the blessing of the home and bread and salt ceremony.
"Peace be to these and all those who enter into this house " Peterson prayed. He asked God to provide "shelter and respite challenge and growth" and for the families to be able to "live, love and dream and hope and laugh and cry" in their new homes with a sense of comfort and safety. The children all said they liked having their own rooms. Nolan and Georgia each had a friend attend the celebration and said it was fun to have their own place to bring friends.
"It's awesome," almost-12-year-old Nolan said, "because it's fun and I can do sports."
Georgia, 13, said, "I'm really excited and relieved we're in [the house] now." She said the construction process began when she was 11. Family members are expected to put in 500 hours of sweat equity on their new houses. Kids can help in supportive ways. Georgia said she recycled and swept at the site.
"Working at ReStore, the recycling depot - they get credit for friends they bring to help. There's a great deal of responsibility. It's not a free gift," said treasurer Ron Pepper said.
"Habitat carries the mortgage for the value of the property," but there is "no interest rate" and mortgage rates are based on a percentage of the family's income so they can manage it.
Pepper added that the best part of the program is when the mortgage kicks in because it's the "cash flow we need to enable us to build houses long into the future here on the Sunshine Coast."
Sunshine Coast Village, Habitat's next project is seven duplexes in Wilson Creek that will provide 14 more homes. "We hope to have four families housed by this time next year," said project chair Kenan MacKenzie. However, he added it won't be easy as they must construct half a kilometre of road and put in all services to the new site. MacKenzie said the Coast Community Builders Association has come on board to offer assistance. "A lot of stuff is happening very quickly," he said.
School District No. 46 has a hand in volunteering at the new site as the current ACE-IT (accelerated credit enrolment in industry training) carpentry student group is handling the framing.
The day was not complete until all those in attendance had gone through the line for Starbucks coffee and Wheatberries cake, all donated, then neighbours began to find their way to Shayla and Irene and welcome them to the neighbourhood.
