$1M in extra costs added to Habitat for Humanity Okanagan build since pandemic

With housing costs skyrocketing in recent years, it’s not surprising that more people are expressing concern about making ends meet.

For those at Habitat for Humanity, however, it presents a challenge to the way they’ve historically operated.

“We’ve received almost 700 applications since 2019 and we were able to serve 12 families,” Danielle Smith, director of resource development for Habitat for Humanity Okanagan said. “But what about the other 670-plus families that we haven’t been able to serve?“

Habitat for Humanity’s model empowers families to invest in home ownership. Through donated labour, efficient management and tax-deductible donations of money and materials, Habitat for Humanity builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses.

1:43 Habitat for Humanity helps families get into housing market

“For us, it’s finding the land,” she said. “We have a requirement to build within a fair market value and to do that we need to find land that is a reasonable cost to us …. We know the need exists. We know it’s going to continue to exist. And we know that in the end if we don’t do it, we’re going to have more families waiting.”

Currently, the organization is very close to seeing eight families housed in a Lake Country development that will ultimately have 12 homes.

“Hopefully that will be at the end of November,” she said, of the eight families getting housed. Ground won’t be broken for the last four homes until February 2023.

Challenges, however, have faced that project repeatedly already.

“In the time since we started the Lake Country project, our costs have gone up by $1 million,” she said.

The pandemic helped drive up costs, but the issue in the last 18 months was extreme weather affecting supply and, in turn, raising costs.

“And then of course when we think about the fact that we broke ground in September 2020, nobody was anticipating the housing market to do what it’s done,” she said.

It’s what makes things like Habitat bottle drives all the more important with the mission they’re trying to accomplish.

They had two bottle drives in recent days in Kelowna and West Kelowna and raised $5,200 in refunds. Another drive is in the works and there have been cash donations, as well.

All in all, Smith said they are expecting that the $11,000 goal set last year should be matched.

To chip in for that effort, Smith said going to the Express depot and putting in Habitat for Humanity’s phone number will ensure that they get the donation. The number is 778-755-4346.