National Women Build Week

In the week leading up to Mother’s Day, women everywhere are coming together to devote at least one day to Habitat For Humanity’s effort to eliminate poverty housing. This week is significant to many of our volunteers because families with children make up a staggering number of those in desperate need of adequate housing. In Guelph you’ll see evidence of Women Build Week throughout our community. Although we haven’t begun to build yet this year, we’re getting close to being ready to kick off our build.

We have land.

At 10:30 am, May 3^rd, you’re invited to visit our next Women Build site at 297 Paisley Road and celebrate with us as we raise our Women Build sign!

We have a family.

“Sarah” is a single Mom with three boys under the age of 16. Although she’s been holding down as many as 3 jobs at once, she’s made space in her busy life to complete most of her 400 Sweat Equity hours to make her eligible for our next home.

We have plans.

Our drawings are almost ready to submit for a building permit. “Sarah’s” home will be a simple decent two-story 3-bedroom home.

We have volunteers (though never enough)!

Women throughout Wellington County are anxiously waiting for us to start building so they can join in the fun.

What’s holding us back?

Despite the generosity of our many supporters, we need money for building materials, foundations, roofing and more. It costs money to build a home. So we’re actively seeking Build sponsors, large and small.

In the meantime, we have created a series of workshops for those gals who just can’t wait to come and play with tools. Most are held on Thursday evenings from 7-10 pm, but our Build a Shed Boot Camp is on a July weekend. Evening workshops are only $35 each. The weekend Boot Camp is just $100 and includes lunch, safety glasses and your own pink hard hat (that you get to keep). If you’re a serious do-it-yourselfer, you can sign up for the entire series for just $200.

When you come out to our workshops, you are under no obligation to sign up as a volunteer.

The first workshop – Power Tools 101 (for Women!)– is being held during Women Build Week, on Thursday, May 10^th at 7:00 pm and Sharon Lewis, our 2011 Women Build Site Supervisor, is our instructor.

Learn more by visiting http://habitatwellington.on.ca/wb-2012-skills-workshops.html.

We’d love it if you joined us!

Volunteer Spotlight

This month Habitat for Humanity Wellington County would like to recognize Allan Berberich for his outstanding volunteerism. Al first came to volunteer with Habitat back in 2006 and has been a dedicated, passionate and knowledgeable volunteer ever since. Al is described as, “one of those ‘all-around’ volunteers, pitching in at every corner of our organization”

In 2010 Al volunteered a whopping 71.25 hours in the ReStore and 91 Hours at the build site and then in 2011 he inspired us all by devoting 137.5 hours to the ReStore and 71 hours at the Huron St. build site. Additionally, in 2011 Al not only provided great support to the Family Support Committee by helping to plan a workshop for our partner families to walk them through tax preparations, he also helped to mentor student volunteers at the Restore.

Other volunteers describe Al as a knowledgeable and reliable volunteer who is always there when you need him and always has a smile on his face! Al can consistently be counted on for any salvage or demolitions jobs and is more that willing to help show people the proper way to fix or assemble new products. No job is too big or small for Al to get involved in; he does not hesitate to pitch in whenever he sees a job that needs to get done!

Al has shown remarkable dedication and caring for the Habitat family he is the type of volunteer that we love to have here at Habitat for Humanity Wellington County. We are recognizing Al for being one of the only long-term volunteers who has made a continuous, ongoing commitment to both the build and the ReStore, with a gift card from Everyday Essentials. So here’s a BIG THANK YOU to Al Berberich for all of the magnificent volunteering he has done and with without a doubt continue to do!

THANKS AL!

For information on how you can get involved with Habitat for Humanity Wellington County visit us at Suite 300, 104 Dawson Road, Guelph, Ontario Canada N1H 1A7 or at

http://www.habitatwellington.on.ca/about.html

Spring Cleaning? Why not ReStore your home with Habitat?

It’s that time of year again, the birds are chirping and the flowers are blooming; no need for heavy winter coats. It’s time to open the house windows and do a good spring clean!

Now there are tons of tricks, lists and simple suggestions out there to make spring cleaning easier and less time consuming; Habitat for Humanity Wellington County has a list of their own to help remind you what items to donate and all about our free pick-ups.  <Take a look below of accepted and unaccepted items> 

All you need to do to donate an item is bring it into the ReStore located at Suite 300, 104 Dawson Road in Guelph. If your item is too large for you to bring in on your own or you have a number of things to donate, you can call the ReStore at 519-780-2323 to arrange for a free pick-up of all your items!

There are several great reasons to donate your unwanted goods to the Habitat Guelph ReStore. Your donations reduce the amount of material going into local landfill sites. In fact, the Guelph ReStore has diverted over 3,000,000 pounds of goods away from these sites. That's the equivalent to 230 elephants! Additionally, ReStore profits helps us offset administration costs so you can rest assured every penny you donate to Habitat for Humanity Wellington County goes directly to buying building materials to build more homes in your community.   

Spring Cleaning with the ReStore this year will make you feel great about your social and environmental actions, especially with Earth Day around the corner. Habitat for Humanity ReStores help Canadian consumers practice the 3Rs every day:

• ReDuce - the need to manufacture new products
• ReUse - gently-used products in your home renovation projects
• ReCycle - your neighbour's gently-used products by finding a use for them in your house

Are you planning to finally get rid of that TV in the crawl space that merely collects dust? Maybe you'll finally decide to do something about the dozens of cell phones you have stashed away in the closet. Are you unsure of how to properly recycle these electronics? Recycle them with the ReStore and we'll make it easy for you! Bring your unwanted working or non-working electronics into our donation centre and will recycle them RESPONSIBLY!

So while you’re giving your house that thorough clean keep HFHWC and our Guelph Restore on your mind for all your recycled items!

Accepted Items for Donation

Items that Habitat ReStore accepts:

• Appliances and small appliances 
• Architectural columns, mantles, antique moldings 
• Cabinets (kitchen and bathroom)
• Carpeting and under-pad new or “as new” only 
• Doors (in good condition NO hollow bi-folds) 
• Drywall, blue board & cement board, in sheets uncut, (or half sheets) 
• Drywall mud & tape 
• Electrical devices and fixtures in “as new” working condition 
• Exercise equipment 
• Flooring (tiles, wood, vinyl engineered laminate, parquet) 
• Furniture (no box springs and mattresses, no upholstered furniture) 
• Garden tools, implements, structures, shovels wheelbarrows, sheds, etc. 
• Hand tools, including power tools 
• Hardware (hinges, handles, knobs, covers, nails, nuts and bolts, screws) 
• Insulation (only in wrapped bundles) 
• Interlocking paving stones 
• Lighting fixtures (interior & exterior) 
• Office furniture (desks, bookcases, computer work stations, chairs) 
• Plumbing fixtures without chips or stains 
• Plumbing tubing & pipes (copper, ABS, PVC, galvanized) 
• Roofing (shingles, barrier paper and membranes)
• Sealants and caulks in unopened packages
• Shutters
• Siding (wood, aluminum, vinyl)
• Steel and Aluminum/ Steel tubs, steel desks
• Televisions, radios, computers, monitors (all electronics)
• Wall coverings (paper, vinyl, tiles)
• Windows
• Wood (lumber, trim, molding, plywood, MDR OFB, plastic) in usable sizes, not scrap

Items NOT accepted: 

Unaccepted Items for Donation

• Any kind of waste
• Automotive supplies
• Toys
• Books, magazines
• Clothing
• Dishes/pots and pans/dishwashers
• Drywall smaller than 2x3
• Fertilizers, insecticides/pesticides, plants
• Glass that is not in a frame
• Hazardous material (flammables, acids, solvents)
• Plumbing fixtures that are chipped or stained (no 13 liter toilets)

We Are Making Our Home Applications More Accessible

Update March 27*** CTV shared a news story focusing on the need for more transit and affordable housing for immigrants. Here's a portion of that article.

OTTAWA — The federal emphasis on integrating immigrants through language training and recognition of foreign credentials is far too narrow, says a new paper.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is proposing a new strategy for integration that would broaden the focus to include affordable housing and public transit.

"Federal and provincial settlement programs have not caught up with changing immigrant settlement patterns, including a growing shift to suburban communities," the report says.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is in the midst of public consultations on how to best reshape the intake of immigrants, so that the country attracts the kind of people it needs to sustain its workforce. more...
_____________________________________________________________
Recently, we paired with Immigrant Services - Guelph Wellington (IS-GW) to provide information on our affordable home building program to new Canadians and clients of IS-GW. We participated in two IS-GW workshops (Homeownership & Coffee Talk - Immigrant Women's Group) to help disseminate information about our programs. This initiative is funded by a grant received by Habitat Canada as part of the Habitat for Humanity 360 Built Smart Partnership. With this grant, we will look to expand our family outreach to be more accessible to those new to Canada.

The 360 Built Smart Partnership is focused on developing initiatives that eliminates the housing crisis in Canada. This funding will help increase applications from new Canadian families as well as have documents translated by the Translation and Interpretation Program Services (TIPS) into Chinese, Hindi, Vietnamese, Punjabi, and Spanish, the five most common immigrant languages in Guelph and Wellington County. Finally, other funding will be allocated to hiring interpreters to help support new Canadian applicant families.
I caught up to Diane (our Executive Director) to get her thoughts on these workshops

“Affordable housing and language barriers are first concerns for many of these families that immigrate to Canada. To make information available to these families on the housing programs in their native language is the optimal way of opening the door to affordable home ownership”.

*Here are some facts:

According to the Canadian Council on Social Development in 1995, on average 30% of immigrant populations living in cities lived below the poverty line. ISGW has been providing assistance programs since 1978 to “serve new Canadians and build community by providing responsive and diverse settlement services and programs.” Hosting an information workshop on affordable housing is important because those spending more than 30% of their income on housing are considered "at risk". These workshops will help to reduce the challenges newcomers to Canada face as they seek to attain and retain decent affordable housing. Ultimately, the social impact will have these families transition from merely surviving to that of thriving; they will reduce their reliance on social services and healthcare.

Habitat for Humanity Wellington County encourages all of those interested in gaining insight and knowledge into our Habitat for Humanity home building program to pick up information located at our office at 104 Dawson Rd. (Corner of Speedvale & Dawson) or at Immigrant Services (926 Paisley Rd. Unit 4 & 5).

We'd like to thank the Title Sponsors of the Habitat for Humanity Canada 360 Built Smart Partnership for their continued support.

A Great Day to Celebrate HFHWC Women Build!

Happy International Woman's Day to all the wonderful, strong and brave Women Builders of HFHWC. Today is a perfect day to let everyone know more about the Women Build 2012 project.

Gain self-confidence in the Women Build Program

To all our current Women Builders. Your commitment, support and fortitude is incomparable and extraordinary. From HFHWC Staff, Board of Directors and even Maddie (who could forget Maddie?), the 2011 Women Build project was simply spectacular because of you. Moving those two girls into their beautiful new rooms is a memory that will last a lifetime. GREAT WORK!

2012 will mark the third annual Women Build here in Guelph, and we want you to be part of it! Women Build is not about excluding men, but including women, in an environment that is comfortable and instructive. No experience is necessary! It’s about spirit, empowerment, solidarity, fun, learning and pride in working with a family to build a place they can call home.

The empowering initiative of Habitat for Humanity Wellington County, Women Build is an experience no woman should miss out on. It works to build the skills and confidence of women on the build site and has them leaving with a sense of accomplishment.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

We are seeking strong dynamic women to assist in the planning committees:

• Volunteer Engagement
• Sponsorship
• Special Events
• Construction
• Public Relations

If you are interested in joining one of the committees contact Elizabeth for more information. We are also seeking individuals who are looking to volunteer on site and just want to build! Start an experience to a lifetime of friendship and helping those in need right now!

Empower Yourself to Learn and Help

To find out more information on how you can help, and to also read up on the committee descriptions, visit the Women Build webpage.

Help fight the issue of affordable housing Guelph, Wellington County in a womanly way!

ReStore-ing Our Environment & Our Communities

Did you know that typically 8,000 lbs of waste is put into a landfill during the construction and remodeling of 2,000 square foot home? Habitat for Humanity ReStores are doing their part to divert waste from the landfill by taking used building materials, furniture and other household items and offering them for resale at a fraction of the price. Restores accept donations of various household items including: 

Landfill

§  Windows and Doors

§  Paint

§  Hardware

§  Lumber

§  Tools

§  Lighting fixtures

§  Appliances

Since 1998 Canadian Habitat for Humanity ReStores have diverted over 113,000 tonnes of waste from landfills and in 2010 alone 21,000 tonnes of waste were diverted. Equally important, is the fact that in 2010, Canadian Restores recycled 2.1 million pounds of metal.

In Guelph, the Master Plan identifies a waste diversion target of 65% by 2016, and with the help of places such as the ReStore, individuals can continue to help to reduce the waste being sent to our landfill by donating items of value that might otherwise be thrown out.

In addition, the Wellington County Restore is now taking e-waste and recycle it in environmentally favourable way, further diverting waste from the landfill. E-waste or electronic waste now makes up 5% of all municipal solid waste worldwide, with 20-50 million tons generated every year. Items are being collected by ReStore to be recycled properly include:

§  Cellphones

§  Computers

§  Laptops

§  Televisions

§  Stereos

§  Printers

§  Fax machines and much more!

Purchasing at the ReStore:

§  Lets you help the environment by diverting thousands of tons of usable materials and goods away from landfills and

§  Allows Habitat for Humanity Wellington County purchase more building materials for the homes we build!

You can  sign up to our e-blasts and learn all about exclusive sales, promotions and everything Habitat Guelph ReStore!

Women Build is Back and Recruiting YOU

We’d rather build it than clean it! That's certainly what the Women Build of 2011 accomplished! From June 2011 to October 2011, over 140 volunteers contributed to the Women Build 2011 Project at 439 York Rd. in Guelph. Combined they contributed a whopping 3000 hours of volunteering and 87% of the house was completed by Women!

Women Build 2011

2012 is here and the Women Build is back. We are kicking off the year in style!

January 13th and February 24th, Women Build is inviting you to join them at the Sleeman Centre to help cheer on the Guelph Storm. Tickets for the event can be purchased on the HFHWC website for $15. There will be a 50/50 draw to help support Woomen Build, so wear your PINK and come out and rally your Guelph Storm!

Also, as Women Build will be hosting a Wine & Cheese Recruitment evening at Cutten Fields (190 College Ave. E) on January 19th from 7-9. Women Build Committee members are welcoming individuals interested in joining a Women Build committee out to enjoy some wine and cheese and hear about the wonderful experiences of the 2011 project. If you've thought about joining the powerful movement that's sweeping the city, now is the perfect chance!

Typically women only represent 1/3 of the volunteers on Habitat for Humanity build sites, so the Women Build aims to  promotes women as leaders and provides an opportunity for women to learn new trades or skills, under the direction of both men and women skilled tradespersons. Women Build is not about excluding men, but including more women in the building process.

“It’s about spirit, empowerment, solidarity, fun, learning and pride in working with a family to build a place they can call home.”

Habitat is Back in Centre Wellington

YOU’RE INVITED!!

Habitat for Humanity Wellington County is holding a Build Launch event on January 14^th 2012 at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex in Fergus from 12 to 2. The Centre Wellington Build Committee is holding this launch event in support of the construction of a semi-detached house at 124 Forfar Street in Fergus, which will be built this spring and summer! It will be the first build project in Centre Wellington since 2003.

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come on out and find out more about Habitat for Humanity Wellington County. There will be opportunities to:

§  Learn about the Habitat for Humanity organization

§  Be introduced to the project committee and Habitat for Humanity Wellington County staff

§  Apply to volunteer and become a Habitat Partner Family

§  Support fundraising events

§  Buy-A-Brick Fundraising and Donating

§  Adopt-A-Day Corporate Fundraising 

“We are thrilled to be building in Fergus again, for there are a lot of residents of this town that are deserving of the sustainability and structure homeownership can provide them,” said Diane Nelson, Executive Director of HFHWC.

 Currently, there are 2,965 Social Housing Units in Wellington County.  As of December 2007, 1370 applicants were on the waiting list.

§  Average wait times in 2008 for 1 bedroom (through social housing) in Wellington County was 3 to 5 years

§  2 and 3 bedrooms hovering around a 2 year wait time

 Affordable Housing can lead to improved health, education and economic opportunities for families at risk. It also lessens the financial burden on society in the areas of social services, justice and healthcare. 

 “Our government is committed to helping people who live on lower or fixed incomes stay in their home communities,” said MPP Sandals.

• With 1.7 million Canadian families living without adequate housing
• Over half a million Canadians paying more than 50% of their household income on shelter and food
• Just under 5 million Canadians (15.9%) having incomes below the Low-Income Cut-Off

2010 House on Bagot St.

Habitat for Humanity Wellington County is doing their part to help two very deserving families become homeowners.  

“Habitat for Humanity provided me a hand up by giving me the ability to lend my hand out to others,” said Melanie Fegan, Habitat Partner Family of the Elora home. 

In order to make the dream of a home a reality for a Centre Wellington family, we need you! So please visit us at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex from 12 to 2 on January 14, 2012 and find out more about volunteering, becoming a Partner family and sponsoring the build!

Habitat & Home Depot: Building Sustainable Houses

“More saving. More doing. That’s the power of Home Depot.” The Home Depot Canada

And the power is certainly helping Habitat for Humanity Wellington County. From December 7^th to the 8^th, Team Depot Guelph was on-site, volunteering at our 28 Huron Street build in Guelph. There were 11 team members all eager and excited to help build homes for two deserving families. 

Team Depot "Representin'"

This year The Home Depot Canada Foundation awarded Habitat for Humanity Wellington County the Sustainable Housing Grant of $10,000! This grant is given to support home building projects that incorporate environmentally responsible building techniques and/or materials.

The Home Depot Canada and Habitat for Humanity have a long-standing relationship built on the shared commitment to ensuring Canadian families in need of adequate housing gain access to safe, decent and affordable homes. The Sustainable Housing Grant Program encompasses both sustainable building and social responsibility for green building. This refers to building using a process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition. Some of the techniques and build components Habitat for Humanity Wellington County has incorporated to make this a sustainable build include;

·         Drain water heat recovery

·         Energy Star certified building practices

·         Use of spray foam insulation in walls to reduce energy consumption

·         Use of R50 attic insulation to reduce energy consumption

·         Argon gas windows for optimal thermal performance

·         Energy Star qualified hot water tank – 67 efficiency

·         High efficiency furnace- 95% efficiency EMC motor

·         Effective ventilation – HRV unit 75% efficiency  

In 2011, The Home Depot Canada Foundation again held the Buy a Hammer, Build Our Community campaign. At any The Home Depot locations, customers could purchase a 'paper hammer' for $2, which would help build affordable housing and stronger, more sustainable communities. All of the funds raised supported local community-benefit organizations including Habitat for Humanity.

Home Depot's Sheila Fildes presents a cheque to HFHWC's Diane Nelson

In addition to the Sustainable Building Grant and the Buy a Hammer, Build Our Community campaign, The Home Depot Canada Foundation is a titled sponsor in the Habitat for Humanity 360 Built Smart Partnership. This is a national initiative that drives funding to support all aspects of the need for affordable housing, including sustainable community development.

Sustainable community development is defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Canadian Auditor General Act

The 360 Build Smart Partnership is dealing with sustainable community development by;

·         Enabling families to safe, decent and affordable housing

·         Building to the highest safety standards

·         Building ‘greener’ homes and reducing our environmental impact

·         Creating authentic collaboration and fostering leadership

·         Creating local leaders and stronger connections to the community

·         Reduction of CO2 emissions

·         Promoting the ReStores

As we enter the middle of December, we begin to look toward the New Year and all of the exciting new and continuing projects we have in the works. 2012 will prove to be a very thrilling year as because Habitat for Humanity Wellington County was awarded a $25,000 grant from the 360 Built Smart Partnership and we will use this funding for an exciting project that will allow us to attract more famillies to partner with us in the search for decent housing! STAY TUNED! 

Finally, we want to take a few words to share a heart-felt thank you to all associates at The Home Depot Guelph for their commitment to sell Paper Hammers throughout the month of June and the same dedication they've displayed helping us build two homes and provide a sustainable future for two richly-deserving families. A special thanks to the leader of The Home Depot Guelph associates, Store Manager, Sheila Fildes. It's been a true pleasure to partner with Sheila on many projects throughout the past year and we're thrilled she has an unwavering commitment to Habitat for Humanity.


Team Depot installing the ceiling