One Melfort family finally has a place of their own to call home.
The Stephensons - Daniel and Allison and their four children, Christopher, Dominick, Darius and Bryce - officially received the keys to their home Feb. 24.
“We’ve actually been in it about two weeks now,” said Daniel after the ceremony. “It’s exciting, because now instead of paying someone else’s mortgage, we’ve got our own mortgage to pay.”
Community members stood outside the brand-new Lendrum Street home to hear how the Habitat for Humanity home came together.
The house, Melfort’s second with the organization, sits on land donated by the City of Melfort.
“It’s projects like this I think that reflect what Melfort’s all about,” said Rick Lang, Melfort’s mayor, who spoke about the hundreds of volunteers and thousands of volunteer hours that went into the construction of the home.
Sask Housing Corporation contributed $130,000 to both homes, according to Kevin Phillips, MLA for the area.
“It’s more than just four walls and a roof, it’s a place to build memories and to become part of the community,” said Phillips.
Larry Sparks with Affinity Credit Union, a major sponsor of the building project, also spoke to the crowd of assembled community members.
“We were quite pleased to be able to help support this project through our community development funding program,” said Sparks.
Finally, Richelle Rogers, chairman of the local Habitat for Humanity chapter, thanked the sponsors, both corporate and private, for their support. She said that a third one is in the works and fundraising is being planned already.
“Congratulations to the Stephensons on your new home. You’ve worked very hard, you’ve earned it, definitely,” said Rogers.
Daniel was on site for much of the build, assisting with siding, drywalling, mudding and taping. He said he enjoyed meeting volunteers from the community, including students from Cumberland College who assisted with insulation. Each Habitat family contributes 500 hours and pays an affordable no-interest mortgage that will go back into the Build Fund for future homes.
The Stephensons said their children are enjoying having their own space: the 1,000 square foot home has five bedrooms and a partially finished basement.
“In the house we had before this, they were all in the same room,” said Daniel.
Daniel said that if it weren’t for Habitat for Humanity, they would have had to leave the community. Allison, meanwhile, is still adjusting to the change.
“I’m enjoying it right now. It’s the first time we’ve ever owned a home - it’s ours,” she said.
