Women Build project taking shape

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This article was published 26/07/2023 (1159 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Brandon mom is putting in hundreds of hours of sweat equity by carrying lumber and swinging a hammer as she, along with dozens of volunteers, contributes to building her very own home.

The walls are up on the duplex on the 700 block of Franklin Street, for Habitat for Humanity’s fourth build of the year, and 38-year-old Anita Onifade is one of the partner families.

Onifade, a single mom, is a certified health-care aide working in home care, and during the school year is a full-time university student taking Applied Disaster and Emergency Studies (ADES) at Brandon University.

“If not for Habitat for Humanity and this program, I wouldn’t be able to get a house for my son and me. So, this means a lot to me, a whole lot,” Onifade said with emotion in her voice.

About five months ago, a poster for a Habitat for Humanity information session caught Onifade’s eye. It explained the program as well as the acceptance criteria including an annual household income that must be between $32,000 and $84,600, which is the Manitoba low-income government cutoff.

“I read through it, and I said to myself, ‘hey, I could be one of the lucky people, my income is between the required values,’” Onifade said.

The selection process also included a credit check and a financial assessment with Creditaid, which is a licensed and bonded credit counselling agency. Counsellors help families budget effectively to set them up for success, said Bonnie Mills, Habitat’s community engagement manager.

“When the houses are sold to the family, they’re sold at fair market value. They’re also sold as zero down, zero interest for 15 years, and their payments are 27 per cent of their annual income. So, whatever the notice of assessment is, if it’s just $32,000 a year, the minimum payment is $720,” Mills said.

Additionally, each family is required to invest sweat equity of 500 hours. Family and friends can help, and if someone is not comfortable on a construction site, they can also work those hours off at fundraising events or in the Habitat ReStore, where new and used building materials are sold.

The City of Brandon has donated land for more than 60 homes to Habitat for Humanity. Onifade’s home on Franklin Street will be the 11th for the neighbourhood, which has a combination of duplexes and stand-alone homes.

During each project, qualified tradespeople are brought in for finishing touches such as electrical and drywall, but at the start of every job is construction manager Kevin Hiebert.

Hiebert said he and his volunteers do all the aspects of the framing, but added his favourite part of the build is when the walls go up because, “In one day, you go from a flat floor to — it looks like a house.”

“And the volunteers we have are so willing and teachable, it’s wonderful. And it’s staggering the amount of work you get done with a lot of them not having a background in construction, and it’s a lot of fun,” Hiebert said, who is also a Red Seal carpenter.

Along with homeowners to-be, local businesses provide up to 10 volunteers a day in team-building opportunities for their employees.

So far this year, business builds have included Sunrise Credit Union, Maple Leaf Foods, Centrum Mortgage, Koch Fertilizer and Heritage Co-op, with McCain Foods scheduled for Thursday.

But this week is the annual Women Build, when women are encouraged to raise funds and work on-site — something that Brandonite Sarah Barclay has done numerous times before while on her summer break from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. This is her fourth build.

“Honestly, I just love it. I always come home from school when the builds are happening. I like being able to do something that helps other people. And when you work right alongside families who are going to live there. They’re just so excited about it the whole time. It’s not like anything else I’ve volunteered with before,” said Barclay.

The last day of the Women Build is Monday, and there are a few spots left for those who are interested, said Mills.

“Women are not as predominant in the construction field as men are, so it’s empowering for them. Plus, it’s really nice to have like-minded women coming together to, help out and give back to the community, which is the best part of it,” Mills said.

On Tuesday, progress included completing and erecting the party walls, which divide the two duplexes, and adding Styrofoam insulation to the exterior.

It’s a dream come true, said Onifade, who added she is grateful for the opportunity to help build her own home.

“And it’s more than just the house. It’s about this community that has been built, with everyone doing it together. This gives my son and I a sense of family, and it already feels like home,” Onifade said.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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