Habitat for Humanity Guelph Wellington seeks new ways for home ownership

Housing affordability is one issue that continues to impact Canadians and Guelph is no exception.

Habitat for Humanity Guelph Wellington is looking to help more families afford a home in the Royal City and the surrounding area.

Kathryn Stokes, manager of housing partnerships, said Habitat for Humanity looks for three elements during the application process, including a need for affordable housing.

“We look at their current living conditions to see if they’re living in unsuitable, unsafe or unaffordable living conditions,” Stokes said.

In addition, the organization looks at whether an applicant is able to pay a mortgage. Volunteering through the program is also a requirement.

From there, a family that’s eligible is invited to apply and Stokes said applications are project specific.

Stokes said having affordable mortgage payments is among the solutions the chapter offers to make it easier for families.

“Within our program, the family would have a first mortgage with a commercial lender and mortgage payments would be set at an affordable rate, which is 30 per cent of their income,” she said.

Stokes added Habitat for Humanity would hold a second mortgage at zero per cent for a 20-year partnership. This would allow a family to take out partial financing from a lender and gain appreciation over time while having affordable mortgage payments.

While moving through the application process, she said the family will meet with the lender to establish what the financing and monthly payments would look like.

She added the family will meet with her at the end of the process to ensure a budget is in place and money is put aside for mortgage payments.

Housing-related costs are not covered through Habitat for Humanity.

The local chapter’s goal is to build more than 200 homes in Guelph and the surrounding area in the next three to five years. Stokes said the chapter is optimistic about having enough homes for families within that timeframe.

An eligibility questionnaire can be found online.

She said people are encouraged to fill it out even if they’re not sure they qualify.

“If we have families on higher ranges or lower ranges then we’re able to kind of support different individuals. So even if individuals do not fit our eligibility criteria to a tee, they may be able to still be invited to our projects depending on who’s applying,” she said.

To learn more and find out if you’re eligible, go to habitatgw.ca.