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.
Jonathon Naylor Editor The future of a potential Flin Flon branch of Habitat for Humanity now rests with the community. That was the closing message at an informational meeting held at City Hall last week by Steve Krahn, vice-president of regional development for the non-profit's Manitoba division. Krahn delivered a detailed PowerPoint presentation before nearly 20 attendees, explaining how Habitat provides housing to the working poor all over the world. Expand Its goal now is to expand into Flin Flon and across rural Manitoba and northwestern Ontario, a region that already has branches in Dauphin, Portage la Prairie, Selkirk, Steinbach, Virden, Kenora and Lundar. Krahn said Habitat's success in tiny Lundar, _ with a population under 1,400 _ bodes well for other communities wanting to launch their own branches. He stressed that Habitat is not a 'giveaway program,' as homes are sold at fair market value to families that fall into the government-defined category of low-income. 'Our homeowners are purchasing their homes and are very proud of the fact they are homeowners,' Krahn told an audience that included Mayor George Fontaine. The homes are feasible for poor families because they do not require a down payment and pay no interest. See 'Mon...' on pg. 3 Continued from pg. 1 Families make monthly payments equivalent to 25 per cent of their gross income, with the arrangement lasting as long as is needed to pay off the house. Government data shows that in 2006, the Manitoba portion of Flin Flon _ which is almost the entire community _ had 11.1 per cent of its families fall into the low-income bracket. That was only slightly lower than the Manitoba-wide figure for the same year, 12.3 per cent. Welfare rates in Flin Flon have also increased in recent years, but those individuals do not qualify for Habitat because they cannot own a home while on assistance. Before the final nail is pounded, each Habitat home is already paid for through sponsorships and fundraising generated by local branches. Families make their payments to the branch, which in turn gradually accumulates cash with which to build additional houses. 'Low-income families are actually helping other low-income families to own a home,' Krahn said. Krahn acknowledged there is sometimes resistance from neighbourhoods to Habitat homes, as concerns persist over the potential behaviour of tenants and the impact on property values. But he said there is no evidence problems are occurring, adding that Habitat scrutinizes its applicants far better than any bank granting a mortgage would. While Habitat builds entry-level homes, Krahn said the organization is willing to stack the quality of its houses up against any others in the province. And since Habitat does not need to make a profit on homes, he said 'extras' can be added that might otherwise be foregone. Krahn said homes are built by a combination of hired tradespeople and volunteer workers. And while tradespeople often donate labour or materials, he said Habitat never assumes it will receive such aide. Benefit? Krahn took several questions from the crowd, including the obvious one: Could Creighton or Flin Flon, Sask., benefit from a chapter based on the Manitoba side of the border? While Krahn's inclination was that there would be no problem with that, he could not provide a definitive answer as he would have to look into the matter further. Another hypothetical question revolved around someone attempting to take advantage of the program by having a home built for them only to turn around and sell it at a profit. Krahn said Habitat families must agree not to sell their home for the first decade, and if they absolutely must, they will not gain or lose money on the transaction. While the onus is on individual communities to start and operate their own Habitat branches, the Manitoba head office in Winnipeg, where Krahn is based, does provide assistance. Help includes accounting, construction knowledge, donated housing materials and support from staff. In closing the meeting, Krahn said the next steps are in the hands of Flin Flon. Interested volunteers are now encouraged to attend an organizational meeting on Thursday, March 1 at the Community Futures Greenstone office above Pharmasave. It will begin at 7 p.m.
