Welland Tribune e-edition

Habitat Niagara’s first build of 2021 will be in Welland

Home being built for man and 4 kids, one of whom requires wheelchair

An accessible home for a Welland man and his four children, one of whom requires the use of a wheelchair, will put Habitat for Humanity Niagara’s home building program back on track, says the agency.

It said last year was tough for the home building program as only one of four scheduled homes was built, with construction halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its ReStores temporarily shut down.

With the agency needing to raise more than $350,000 to build one home, which includes the cost of land, monetary and gift-in-kind donations from local businesses, individuals and the three ReStores are important.

“Donations of any kind make a difference,” said Habitat Niagara chief executive officer Mark Carl. “We are very fortunate to have partnerships with local businesses and community groups because they are helping to make an impact on families in our community.”

In a release, Habitat said Wise Guys Charity Fund committed to supporting its home building program over the next four years, starting with this accessible Welland home, referred to as The House that Wise Guys Built.

“We are a group of dedicated volunteers who are passionate about helping to improve the quality of life in our community, and Habitat checks

all of these boxes,” said Doug Smith, chair of Wise Guys Charity Fund. “When a family has a safe, stable and affordable place to live, it creates a ripple effect. It’s not just the family that does better, the community does as well.”

Kiwanis Club of Welland contributed funds to purchase a wheelchair lift for the home.

“Welland Kiwanis is happy to help Habitat build this house,” said club member Paul Grenier “We became aware of Steve and his courage of raising four children on his own along with the challenges his eldest son had. We had to find a way to do something. We had to find a pathway in by contributing toward the construction of a mobility lift for the young man so that he can get in and out of his house and improve his quality of life.”

He and Smith were at the build site to meet Steve, the future Habitat homeowner, as he was finishing off his volunteer hours for the day preparing the floor to install the flooring.

“It meant a lot to me to be able to walk Doug and Paul around the house today and show them the impact that their generous contributions have had and will have on my family,” said Steve in a release.

He said the contributions they made go far beyond helping put a roof over his family’s heads.

“Thanks to these gentlemen and their respective organizations, my children will have the opportunity to grow up in a beautiful home that has been thoughtfully designed and constructed for Christian to have access to in his wheelchair.

“Knowing just how much the quality of my children’s lives are about to improve, I will always be grateful to Doug and Paul and all of the donor’s support.”

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2021-06-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-06-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://wellandtribune.pressreader.com/article/281496459251570

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