Jamie Gagnon and her son Jace moved into their home - Habitat for Humanity's third build in Melfort - on July 1. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff)

By Aaron Schulze

Habitat for Humanity

‘I cried’: Melfort mom and son take ownership of third Habitat for Humanity home

Sep 11, 2020 | 4:56 PM

Jamie Gagnon and her son Jace moved into their Melfort house on July 1, but it still hasn’t sunk in that they can call it their home.

The Gagnon’s house on the 400 block of Burrows Avenue W. is the third home built by the Melfort Chapter of Habitat for Humanity Prince Albert. Jamie said she wasn’t getting her hopes high to be named the home’s occupant, but after a process that included three interviews with Habitat for Humanity, she finally left the renting game after 10 years.

“I cried,” Gagnon said when she entered her finished home for the first time. “It was something special to be a part of the whole process. When you walk in and it’s all finished, it still blows you away. I still feel like I might be renting. It doesn’t feel like it’s fully mine, but it is.”

Habitat for Humanity builds homes and helps the successful applicant get a mortgage, with payments going to Habitat instead of a bank. The candidate doesn’t need a down payment, but they must show their work is sufficient and prove they can make rental payments before they’re placed in Habitat’s mortgage process. Instead of paying rent for the foreseeable future, the successful applicant pays toward equity in their home.

Gagnon didn’t know she qualified for a Habitat for Humanity home until her sister recommended it. She felt she was on her way toward becoming a homeowner but needed more time. She called Habitat for Humanity a great opportunity for anyone who needs a jump start to become a homeowner.

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“I think everybody wants to be a homeowner, but I always felt it was out of my grasp,” Gagnon said. “I’ve been trying for a long time… and it was never working out. Having that answer and opportunity to be here changes your outlook. I finally got out of renting. This is something I can call mine and home now. It’s a beautiful feeling.”

As part of her and Jace’s “down payment,” the Gagnon’s assisted in the manual labour to build their home, such as painting, cleaning debris, and fence building.

Gagnon imagines snow shoveling and roof work will be the least enjoyable parts of home owning, but she can’t wait to enter the neighbourhood.

“I haven’t hung up anything on the walls yet,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve got curtains, just I can’t make my decision on where I want things. This is a permanent decision. This is my home. Next year is going to be a lot more landscaping; really being able to put my touch on it. I have a garden that will be ready to be going next year.”

Future Habitat for Humanity builds in Melfort

A formal ribbon cutting of Habitat for Humanity’s third build in Melfort was held on Sept. 11. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff)

The Gagnon home is the third build of Habitat for Humanity’s originally planned five in the City of Melfort.

Brent Lutz, chairman of the Melfort Chapter of Habitat for Humanity Prince Albert, said the locations of the fourth and fifth builds will depend on the provision of land.

“The last three homes, the city identified properties that they were prepared to gift to Habitat… that might be our first ask, if the city has any suitable land they can make available to us,” Lutz said. “We’re also foreseeing that there might be property owners who have a vacant lot who would like to donate it. We would certainly be able to credit them as a charitable donation.”

Construction of the Gagnon home began in October 2019 and took around eight months to complete. Lutz called the third build Habitat’s quickest so far in Melfort, although it took nearly three years to raise the necessary funds.

“We’ll get paid back for this home, but we had to have the money first,” he said. “If we have money for five homes to start with, those are all going to get paid back and as we build new homes, it’ll be the same thing. Once we get the five homes… we’ll be able to sustain the organization without significant fundraising.”

Lutz said Habitat for Humanity will still require significant support from donors and volunteers until the five homes are built.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow