Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn are challenging Canadians to give back.
The Habitat for Humanities Carter Works Project has a goal of building 150 homes for Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation.
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Six of those homes are in Saskatoon, at Habitat’s Slimmon Road work site.
“These huge projects help to shine the light on the need for affordable housing,” Lindsay Sanderson, with Habitat for Humanity Saskatoon, said.
In Saskatoon, there are currently over 300 families waiting to apply for a Habitat home.
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When a family purchases a Habitat home, they take on what’s called an affordable mortgage, which is indexed to their income. They also volunteer 500 hundred hours of “sweat equity” to help Habitat projects.
“Those mortgage payments go to building the next home,” add Sanderson.
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“When you donate a dollar to Habitat, 100 per cent of that money goes to building a home. That dollar is then paid back by the family who gets the home, and that dollar goes to build another home and another home. You really are making a huge impact.”
Carter strongly believes a home is a human right, something Sanderson agrees with.
“A safe, decent and affordable place to live is a basic human right,” said Sanderson.
“Home means more than just a kitchen and a bedroom. It is that place where a family can feel safe and protected.”