The chairman of Estevan’s first-ever Habitat for Humanity (HFH) project was all smiles on Thursday evening of last week when he introduced the media and other Habitat committee members to their first partner family.
Doug Barnstable, who has been heading up the local drive to acquire good, affordable housing for those who can benefit from the program, stated that Stephanie Bramham, a single mother, and her three-year-old daughter Teal have been selected to be recipients of the first Habitat building project. He said he hoped that a winter season filled with fundraising efforts will set the stage for the start of construction of a modest home of about 1,000 square feet, in March or April of 2017.
Barnstable said the local partner selection committee submitted a short list of candidates to their Regina counterparts, who are serving as the local group’s senior advisors. They made the decision which was confirmed locally.
“We opened the application process on June 23 this year and it closed about a month later. The application process is extensive, but worthwhile,” he said.
Regina’s HFH came back with their choice in late September, at which time some local committee members sat down with Bramham to discuss her obligations and parameters of the program to complete her eligibility requirements that include continued payments on a modest mortgage, home maintenance, and 500 hours of family “sweat equity” in the actual construction process.
“I moved back to Estevan three and a half years ago. I was pregnant and needed some family support which I received from my mother and father and then I got into a public housing about two years ago,” she said.
The young mother said the current crowded conditions in the housing project she is in, continually raising concerns about security and safety, especially for her daughter who doesn’t have a yard to play in.
Roberta DeRosier, the chairwoman of the partner family committee, said that was one major consideration they had when compiling the short list.
“Stephanie is a mature young woman with a stable income and she is good with money, so we have no doubt she can do this,” said DeRosier.
Schooled in Estevan and Regina and employed as a graphic designer, Bramham said she can see her family, her father (who was in attendance at the announcement) and perhaps her Regina-based brothers would be helping her on the construction side of the equation.
“I sought family support before and received it. I will be calling on them once more,” she said during a brief media scrum that followed the announcement.
“My daughter and I will now start our new journey,” she said during a brief but heartfelt acceptance address to the local committee.
Barnstable said the entire project will require about $225,000 in funding which could come in the form of work or gift-in-kind contributions as well as cash and that would include the purchase price of the property. He said an actual location has not been selected yet. A few options are being pursued on that front, including an offer from a local developer who would be willing to provide a building site at a discounted price. That was just one example of what was coming to the table, he suggested.
Barnstable also cited some statistics that point to a stable, home ownership environment being responsible for improving children’s school grades, behaviours and self-esteem. That “sense of home, is a lot more than concrete and buildings, it’s hope and Habitat families can do it with the help of a zero per cent mortgage interest rate and zero down payment,” he said. The ongoing mortgage payments go to Habitat for Humanity to be applied to the second local project and so on.
“We hope to reach our goal this winter and be ready to start construction in the spring. Anyone interested can phone us at 306-421-2023 and it will link directly to me or my co-chairman Calven Johnson,” he said.
So far the local committee has raised approximately $35,000 in cash and committed gifts-in-kind. The 100K fundraising sub-committee will now spring into action, and they will be looking for additional volunteer assistance, as are all of the HFH committees, especially now that a concrete project and recipient family have been identified.
“I’m looking forward to having a home for my daughter, and a back yard. She loves to be outside and I can’t give her that now. Even her tricycle we left outside one night, got stolen,” said Bramham.
DeRosier said the training program for Bramham will continue with helpful advice and recommendations coming from a well-planned program offered by the Regina HFH team. Some of that will see Bramham attend a session or two in Regina, while others will be delivered in Estevan or online.
“I have found out how it works, and I’m ready because it’s a great opportunity for me and my daughter,” said Bramham.
