LANGHAM, Sask. – A group of Langham high school students celebrated Saskatchewan Habitat Day by building homes for two Saskatoon families. On May 2, the province recognizes and celebrates the work of Habitat for Humanity.
Grade 12 student Ethan Lukan has been part of the school’s construction program since its inception. For 13 months, he’s helped build the duplexes sitting adjacent to the school’s sports field.
“For how long we’ve been out here, we’ve got quite a bit done,” Lukan said.
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Only months from graduation, Lukan is looking forward to a career in the trades. His construction class has given him a head start before he attends Saskatchewan Polytechnic in Saskatoon.
Students from both Walter W. Brown School and nearby Borden School have contributed to the project.
The homes are taking shape with support beams in place and some walls set up. On Habitat Day, students focused on roof framing.
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Once complete, the duplexes will be put on flat-bed trucks and taken to Habitat’s site on Avenue W.
The non-profit offers zero interest mortgages to recipients, allowing them to spend 30 per cent of whatever their income is to pay off the home.
“At the moment, we have over 300 families on our waiting list, just waiting to get an application to our program,” said Lindsay Sanderson, marketing and communications with Habitat for Humanity Saskatoon.
Struggling families of four and five often live in one-bedroom apartments, spending up to 70 per cent of their income on housing, Sanderson said.
By offering appropriately-sized homes at an affordable price, Habitat tries to help people escape high rent while building equity.
For students, the pay-off comes in the form of experience and knowing they’ve helped a family in need.
“They can drive by that house and they can show their friends, they can show their kids in 20 years, they can say ‘I built that,'” Sanderson said.
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