The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Beneath his sturdy white hard hat, Ted Elliott couldn't help but smile. As chair of Habitat 53, he had waited well over a year for the moment when ground would break on the organization's first home. 'It's fantastic,' said Elliott, one of several people on hand for the groundbreaking on Green Street last Friday, July 19. 'It's been a long time coming.' This was no ceremonial groundbreaking with shiny shovels and handshakes. It was the real deal as backhoe operator Jim Benson drove a machine onto the elevated lot and clawed into the earth. Once site preparation is done, construction will begin on a 912-sq.-ft., two-bedroom home. Elliott hopes to have the structure enclosed by the fall, allowing interior work to continue into the winter. Mayor George Fontaine, also present for the groundbreaking, praised Elliott and his fellow volunteers. 'I know that they've been working for a long time in all kinds of avenues, from organizing the whole project to trying to raise funds and (conduct a) cleanup and so on,' he said. 'So we're really, really proud as a community to see that this is happening in our city.' Habitat 53, the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, will sell the finished home to a local family in need. That family, low-income single mom Angela Bennett and her young son Austin, are grateful and excited for the opportunity. 'There's no words to explain what this means to me and my son,' Bennett told The Reminder earlier this year. 'This is going to be our first real home together and we're just thrilled to be on board.' Not only is the site of the first home, 63 Green Street, near Hapnot Collegiate and dining and retail outlets, it came free of charge courtesy of a private individual donated it. Bennett will not be given the house. Instead, she will purchase it from Habitat 53 with a mortgage that fits her limited budget. Bennett, a parenting instructor for the Northern Health Region, is also required to complete 350 hours of volunteer work in the community before she is handed the keys. Since moving to Flin Flon nearly 11 years ago, Bennett, a Snow Lake native, has rented a place on Hapnot Street. But she always wanted something better for Austin. 'He doesn't have a yard to play in. Where we live is not the best, so we have a lot of riffraff that comes around,' Bennett said previously. 'So for him to be able to go outside and play with his friends in a yard is like, I can't even describe what it means. It's exciting. It's everything that I've wanted, being a mom.' When Bennett applied for the first local Habitat for Humanity home, she was doubtful she would be selected. But of the three applications received, the Habitat 53 family selection committee saw her as the best candidate. Habitat homes are constructed by a combination of hired tradespeople and volunteer workers. Where she can, Bennett herself will be able to lend a hand. The best-case scenario will see the new home built and Bennett ready to move in by Christmas. Bennett's payments will then give Habitat 53 a steady stream of revenue that will help construct the next home for a family in need.
