Yellowknife families receive keys to new Habitat for Humanity homes

Four Yellowknife families were presented ceremonial keys to two newly constructed duplexes, giving them access to affordable housing and accessible homeownership.

Habitat for Humanity NWT will provide the families interest-free mortgages for their new homes once they complete 500 community volunteer hours.

“It’s not rental housing, it’s not market housing, but then people are able to afford their lives because they’re not paying 60-70 percent of their income on housing, which is life changing,” said executive director Alayna Ward in a Friday celebration attended by community members, elected representatives and Habitat for Humanity officials

Ward said the organization received nearly 60 applications to move into the new homes.

To qualify, residents had to meet a minimum income threshold to ensure they could make payments on an affordable mortgage.

Ward said mortgage payments are geared toward a family’s income and result in equity in the home.

A second requirement was that applicants had to have children.

“There’s a real need for family housing in the North and affordable family housing,” said Ward.

“We’ve had families that were all crammed into a one-bedroom or a-two bedroom, having issues with their heat, water, so we really want to make sure that people have a safe, affordable place to live.”

The third requirement was a willingness for families to do the required community volunteer hours. Ward said they can only officially sign the mortgage agreements once those are completed.

The two duplexes are in Yellowknife’s Niven neighbourhood on land donated by Housing NWT. The housing agency also contributed contributed $400,000 for site development and $200,000 for construction.

The modular units were built in about six months, after officials broke ground on the project in May last year. At the time, Habitat for Humanity NWT said it was the organization’s largest project yet.

Each housing unit has three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms.

Families moved into the units in November, Ward said.

Resident Cheryl Martin said she felt thankful her application was approved after she had unsuccessfully applied for the program in the past.

“I never gave up in the process, but when I first found out that I got selected, I was feeling happy and very emotional, ” said Martin.

She said while she’s still settling into her new home, she feels relieved to have somewhere permanent for her and her daughter Cherie to live.

Martin said she has almost completed her 500 hours of volunteer work, having donated her time to the wellness division of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation helping with events like hand games and the spring carnival.

She has also volunteered with Folk on the Rocks and hopes to do so again this year.