Angie Westre/Dreamstime

By Jesse Gill

SMILE SUNDAYS

Habitat for Humanity looking for families to help in Medicine Hat

Jan 26, 2025 | 6:00 AM

Habitat for Humanity Southern Alberta, which helps provide stable housing for families, is looking for families to take on home ownership through their program in Medicine Hat.

Land is in place for a new build in the Southlands area of Medicine Hat with a targeted completion in 2026.

Chair of the local group Annette Fahselt-Andreas, said they are also looking to secure funding and partnerships.

“We still have about $250,000 that we need to come up with to make the build happen,” Fahselt-Andreas said.

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“Unfortunately we can’t start a build until we have that, and that can come in forms of gift in kind, it can come in forms of donation of labor,” she added.

“We had a local company dig our foundation last time and donate it.”

Volunteers are also needed to make things happen, and the group is also looking for any building materials that can be donated.

If a family decides to sell the home they own through the Habitat for Humanity program, the group has the first right to buy the property back, refurbish it, and make it available for another family.

This is the case with a home on Queen Street Southeast, in the Flats area of the city, that the group expects to be available soon.

Families do need to have children in the home to be eligible to qualify, and are required to put in 500 sweat equity hours as a down payment for the home.

They will benefit from a mortgage through Habitat for Humanity that is interest-free and no more than 30 per cent of their income.

Melina Kane, co-chair of the local group, said there is a number of criteria including a minimum annual employment income of $40,000 or more.

“They would have to be a Canadian citizen, been in the community for two years, employed for two years in the same place roughly at least $5,000 in the bank account,” Kane said.

“To show that they’re able to save, and their credit has to be fairly good, and they can’t own any other property.”

Fahselt-Andreas said she feels there is a lot of misconceptions about what they do.

“A lot of people in the community think we give homes away, and that’s not what we do,” Fahselt-Andreas said.

“You still have to qualify like you would for a regular mortgage,” she added.

“It’s just that they make sure that your payments only are 30% of your income.”

Applications can be made by contacting Habitat for Humanity South East Alberta, or online through their website.