Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION
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In this August 2008 photo, Habitat for Humanity’s Arnold Grambo views the progress of construction of the group’s housing project on Percy Street. Grambo is worried about Habitat’s future projects in Brandon following Habitat for Humanity Canada’s decision to close the local affiliate.
The former chair of Habitat for Humanity Brandon is calling the closure of the local affiliate a "tragic, sad time" for the city.
Arnold Grambo spent 14 years at the helm of the local Habitat organization, which was established in 1995.
"We had a wonderful thing going here in Brandon," Grambo said Wednesday in a telephone interview from North Carolina. "We had built so many houses and we had such co-operation from the community."
In the past 17 years, 22 homes were built in Brandon. There are currently 14 Habitat condos under construction in Massey Manor.
Habitat for Humanity Canada decided to close the Brandon operation after minimum operating standards were not being met. The local office will cease operations as of Friday and local Habitat families will now be supported through the Habitat Manitoba office, based in Winnipeg. This is the first time the organization has decided to close a Habitat office in Canada.
Grambo said he was forced to resign last January. He is now concerned about future projects in Brandon, without a local office.
"I don’t think we’ll get donors who will want to donate money to Winnipeg," Grambo said. "We have had properties donated, land donated … I don’t think people are going to want to donate to Winnipeg in the hopes that it’ll be used in Brandon."
A spokesperson for Habitat Canada said there were a number of issues behind the scenes, including governance, administration and how to support the families, that just weren’t up to par.
"There’s nothing unethical, there’s nothing (safety-related), it’s not fraud, but there are standards that we have to have in terms of the administration of the affiliate," said Kate Marshall, national director of marketing and communications with Habitat for Humanity Canada.
Marshall said it’s not appropriate "to air details publicly" regarding Grambo’s departure.
"I think Arnold did a great job over his 14 years, but part of the organization administration duties are about succession planning," Marshall said. "Habitat also needed to be thinking about changes that needed to be made in the organization, so Arnold did not feel comfortable with those changes … but we certainly congratulate him on leading the organization for 14 years."
Grambo admits the volunteer-run organization had challenges keeping up with some administrative tasks, but said they were "minor" issues.
"It seems like just a slap … maybe we didn’t tow the line the way we should have," Grambo said.
"Because we did everything on a volunteer basis, we were ... maybe not exactly what they wanted in some paperwork and so on, but that was easily fixed if they had wanted it fixed."
Grambo said the local volunteers always kept the vision of the late Millard Fuller (founder of Habitat for Humanity International) in mind when doing local projects.
"He wanted to help poor people and help them in a hurry. That’s what we were trying to do," Grambo said. "I certainly wouldn’t disagree that we weren’t at the level that they wanted, but we were at a level that we were getting people into homes, giving them a chance."
As for the Massey Manor project, there are five families who have been approved for the Habitat condos. Marshall said construction continues on the 14 condos and the priority is to "get the situation resolved as quickly as possible, so that we can make sure that those families are taken care of."
The Brandon ReStore will also be closed at the end of the day Saturday.
"The store will close temporarily until the future of Habitat in Brandon is determined," Marshall said. "There is nothing being sent to Winnipeg. Our hope is … eventually the ReStore would open, but right now until we go through some of the organization’s details and financials, we can’t commit to that."
Marshall said the organization’s intent is to make sure Habitat remains alive in Brandon.
"It’s been a vibrant affiliate, and they have done a lot and we want to see them continue to succeed on firm ground," Marshall said.
» jaustin@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition June 28, 2012
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The former chair of Habitat for Humanity Brandon is calling the closure of the local affiliate a "tragic, sad time" for the city.
Arnold Grambo spent 14 years at the helm of the local Habitat organization, which was established in 1995.
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The former chair of Habitat for Humanity Brandon is calling the closure of the local affiliate a "tragic, sad time" for the city.
Arnold Grambo spent 14 years at the helm of the local Habitat organization, which was established in 1995.
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