Habitat for Humanity Sunshine Coast (HFHSC) volunteers are driving in the final nails and will soon be rolling out the welcome mat on their two-year-old Reef Road duplex project.
"We've got some siding to do. The decks all have to be built. We've got some plumbing fixtures to put in and some appliances, but we're looking to have the families actually occupying the homes by April 1," said Kenan MacKenzie, past Habitat chair.
MacKenzie couldn't say how many sweat-equity hours had gone into the duplex so far, but both families had contributed 500 hours each as part of the agreement to be entitled to the new home.
Eight members of the HFHSC board and three volunteers showed up at the site for a work party last Saturday.
The building materials and specialized contracting were largely provided by donation. The project is about one year behind schedule, but MacKenzie is enthusiastic about the group's accomplishments.
"The goal is to build a duplex a year and we're behind," he said. "Once we finish here, we're moving everything to Wilson Creek and our focus will be strictly on the Sunshine Coast Village project which will be seven duplexes, 14 homes."
The Village project is still before the District of Sechelt, but MacKenzie said he hopes to have the approval soon. "We're hoping to get the final reading and development permit done by the end of February," he said. "We might be a little optimistic on that, but we are going to push ahead."
Framing for the Village project has already begun by carpentry students in the ACE IT program through local secondary schools, a program designed to help students in high school earn credits for their diploma and trade certification at the same time.
Meanwhile, Habitat's ReStore is thriving, despite a recent move from its Hwy. 101 location to the less travelled location by the Sechelt airport.
"Things are going really well. Our sales are still maintained even though we have a really poor location and small spot. It's amazing," said Ed Hawkins, one of the founding members of HFHSC and ReStore. "It's definitely worth the drive. We have all sorts of used and some new building materials. Everything is donated to us -all the proceeds go back into building more homes."
Hawkins said despite the economic recession, Habitat has had no trouble securing donations from material suppliers. But, he added, the troubled economic times may mean there will be more of a need for Habitat's services in the future.
Bill Beamish, HFHSC's executive director, said he is proud of what the group has accomplished so far, but he would love to see more eager volunteers.
"Labour is always the challenge," Beamish said. "What we're looking for is a retired site supervisor who knows what needs to be done, and we're looking for him to be on site in Wilson Creek."
As HFHSC's latest project draws to a close and a new one is about to ramp up, Beamish said he was grateful for all the help the group has had.
"We're very thankful for all the support we do get on the Sunshine Coast. We've had tremendous support from volunteers, support from the development community, support from suppliers and contractors. It's just tremendous," Beamish said.
Those looking for a reason to volunteer need look no further than Hawkins' reason for getting HFHSC started: "We wanted to see what could be done to help people living below the poverty line get a home of their own, because otherwise, it couldn't be done," Hawkins said.
