The local chapter of the Elks is considering joining forces with Habitat for Humanity to start an affordable housing project in St. Paul.
The Elks invited guest speakers brother Ken Komarnisky, habitat co-ordinator for Alberta with the Alberta Elks Association, and Cynthia de Boer, executive director for Habitat for Humanity in Red Deer, to give presentations on Thursday evening.
“Next year we will be celebrating 100 years of the Elks of Canada so we are looking for a project,” explained Tom Melnyk with the St. Paul Elks.
Thirteen people from the community came out to the meeting and Melnyk admitted he was expecting a better turnout but hopes there will be more interest as word spreads about the possibility of a project.
The Town of Three Hills, located near Red Deer, is also celebrating its centennial in 2012 and has donated a fully serviced lot to Habitat for Humanity, said Kormarnisky during his presentation. The Alberta Elks Association is planning to build a house in 100 hours and turn it over to Habitat for Humanity to find a suitable family to purchase the home.
“Building a house in 100 hours is an interesting way to celebrate 100 years of service of the Elks in Canada. We are trying to see if there is enough interest from this community for that kind of project,” said Melnyk in an interview after the meeting.
Housing projects are a great way of building community spirit, according to Kormarnisky. The people who volunteer their time to help build the house feel good about themselves, “they get the warm fuzzies.” He told a story about a friend of his who said that every time she passes the house that she helped build she reported feeling really proud.
For the people purchasing the home it is a hand up, not a hand out, because they have to work community service and pay for the house, explained Kormarnisky. There is research that proves Habitat for Humanity projects are effective at breaking the cycle of poverty.
For the town, it adds one more taxpayer to community, he said.
Cynthia de Boer provided some background and history on Habitat for Humanity. The organization has already built 21 homes in Red Deer and is currently working on two more. She said families are selected on very specific criteria and are expected to contribute 500 hours of community service as well as pay for the house, but never pay more then 25 per cent of gross family income for the year.
The partnership between the two organizations has been very successful in Red Deer. She said she was particularly excited about the three-way partnership in Three Hills among Habitat, the Elks and the town.
“I want you to know that with the help of Habitat, it is possible. All you need is ten people with the heart and the commitment to organize the project,” said de Boer.
