Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity Greater Kingston Frontenac Seeks Support

As everyone knows, affordable housing in the Kingston area has been in the headlines in the past year. Too many families still face a lack of suitable places to live.

The need is so great that the City of Kingston and the County of Frontenac commissioned SHS Consulting and Re Fact Consulting to recommend an affordable housing strategy. While they have delivered their preliminary views, we are still waiting for the final report. In their preliminary findings, however, the consultants recommended that municipalities partner with private and not-for-profit housing providers to leverage existing resources to address the crisis.

One of these providers is Habitat for Humanity Kingston & Frontenac. Habitat Kingston is a local charity. It offers an avenue through which both individuals and corporations can participate in helping to solve this serious community crisis. We are always looking for donations of land, money, gifts-in-kind, and trade services. Just as important, we need volunteers to help build affordable houses for low-income families.

When the houses are completed, we sell them to our low-income partner families. The homeowners pay the fair market appraised value of the house. Each partner family invests 500 hours of “sweat equity” in their home in order to qualify for a Habitat Kingston house. We provide them a hand up in the form of an interest-free mortgage held by Habitat Kingston. We ask for no down payment and tailor the mortgage payments to roughly one-quarter of the family’s monthly income.

Our partner families are truly partners. Their mortgage payments are returned to our revolving mortgage fund where they are then reinvested in the construction of more houses. All donations - of whatever kind - are reflected in the price of each house. Your donations help one family own their own home and they in turn, through their mortgage payments, help other families. This ensures that all donations keep giving and giving!

Habitat Kingston has built 10 houses in Kingston. That is the equivalent of a $1.5 million municipally funded project of similar size.

Habitat Kingston also runs a building supply retail operation – The ReStore (323 Bath Road in Kingston). It is stocked by donations of new and used building items. And it’s a great place to find bargains. The ReStore’s operations not only help fund Habitat Kingston but also divert thousands of tons of materials that would otherwise end up in landfills. To donate goods to the ReStore, call 613- 547- 4111

Habitat Kingston is always looking for volunteers for our operating committees and for the Board of Directors. For more information on how you can contribute to Habitat for Humanity Kingston & Frontenac as we get ready to build our next 10 houses, and more, contact:

Habitat for Humanity Kingston & Frontenac
323 Bath Rd. Kingston ON K7M 2X6

John Alkenbrack CEO 613-548-8763,
email j.alkenbrack @habitatkingston.com
Habitat website: www.habitatkingston.com