Federal and Provincial Governments Break Ground for New Habitat for Humanity Home in Duck Lake

DUCK LAKE, SASKATCHEWAN--(Marketwired - May 19, 2017) - Today, the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and Member of the Legislative Assembly Batoche Delbert Kirsch, on behalf of the Honourable Tina Beaudry-Mellor, Minister of Social Services and Minister responsible for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, celebrated the beginning of a new Habitat for Humanity home in the community of Duck Lake.

This investment will support Habitat for Humanity in making homes more affordable and will help improve the quality of life for families in Saskatchewan.

Quick facts:

• Located at 341 7^th Street, the home will be a four-bedroom raised bungalow approximately 1,175 square feet (109 square meters) with a partially developed basement.
  
  
• The Government of Canada, through Canada and Mortgage Housing Corporation (CMHC), along with the Government of Saskatchewan, through Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SHC), jointly contributed close to $50,000 to build the home through the 2014-2019 Investment in Affordable Housing Agreement.
  
  
• CORCAN, a special operating agency of Correctional Service Canada, works with inmates of the Willow Cree Healing Lodge to develop trade skills necessary to build houses. Willow Cree Healing Lodge provides labour and Habitat provides construction materials. This is the fifth house that this partnership has created in the community.
  
  
• The Province's overall commitment to Habitat for Humanity totals $9.8 million since March 2009. Of this amount, the federal and provincial governments are investing $1 million, thanks to the Social Infrastructure Fund, under the April 2017 agreement between Saskatchewan and Habitat for Humanity.
  
  
• Habitat for Humanity's innovative delivery model provides opportunities for families to stabilize their housing and to achieve their homeownership goals. Each partner family selected by Habitat for Humanity contributes 500 partnering hours in building their home or other Habitat homes. To learn more about Habitat for Humanity and their work across Saskatchewan, visit www.habitat.ca.
  

Quotes:

"The Government of Canada is committed to helping families in Saskatchewan meet their housing needs, and we are pleased to partner with Habitat for Humanity in doing so. Today's investment will make a real difference in the life of this family, and we will remain committed to helping other Saskatchewan families in need access safe and affordable housing."

- Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

"Our government is pleased to work with our partners, the Government of Canada and Habitat for Humanity, to help Saskatchewan families reach their full potential, beginning with owning their own home. Home ownership is an important piece to community belonging and inclusion. This home marks an important step forward for a local family in housing need. We sincerely appreciate the vision and leadership shown by Habitat chapters and affiliates in Saskatchewan, and thank them for helping to keep Saskatchewan strong."

- Delbert Kirsch, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Batoche, on behalf of the Honourable Tina Beaudry-Mellor, Minister of Social Services and Minister Responsible for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation

"Homeownership has a profound effect on family health but also impacts the community surrounding the home. Prince Albert Habitat for Humanity is proud of the work being accomplished by our Duck Lake Chapter. Their dedicated work continues to have a huge impact on their neighbours and fellow citizens. We are also thankful for the support we have received through CMHC, Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, the Town of Duck Lake, Corrections Canada, the Tachane Foundation, Husky Energy and all our other supporters and volunteers who are contributing to make this home a reality. Together we are working to break the cycle of poverty for another well-deserving family."

- John van Leeuwen, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity Prince Albert

Associated Links:

• CMHC has been helping Canadians meet their housing needs for more than 70 years. As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to Canadian governments, consumers and the housing industry. Prudent risk management, strong corporate governance and transparency are cornerstones of CMHC's operations. For more information, please call 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc.ca or follow CMHC on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.
  
  
• In October 2012, the Government of Saskatchewan released the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth: Vision 2020 and Beyond, which sets out the Government's vision for a province of 1.2 million people by 2020. The Plan identifies principles, goals and actions to ensure Saskatchewan is capturing the opportunities and meeting the challenges of a growing province. Since 2007, the Government of Saskatchewan has invested over $750 million to develop or repair more than 15, 500 housing units across our province.