We have built 34 homes in the Okanagan since 1994 and we are building capacity to serve more many more families going forward. We opened our first ReStore in West Kelowna in 2013 followed by Kelowna in 2015, Penticton this year and will be open in Vernon in Spring 2019. We have an exciting new initiative with the UP project that is coming soon for up-cycled home décor items. This is a community initiative to deliver up-cycled and manufactured home décor and specialty items adopting work rehabilitation and training programs. These social enterprises are how we are scaling up to serve even more Okanagan families in the future. We rely heavily on volunteers and our community to donate and shop at our ReStores.
In the next five years, we have a plan to build 40 more homes to serve working families to create a positive impact in the Okanagan Valley.
The need for affordable housing is at the forefront of societal concerns nationally and locally. We believe our model of affordable home ownership is the answer that provides the much-needed stability for working families. According to a study done by Boston Consulting Group in 2015, Habitat’s affordable home ownership program creates a social return on investment of $175k per Habitat Family in the community they reside in. These benefits come in the form of reduced reliance on social housing and food banks, better education employment outcomes and improved health.
Our team includes volunteers, staff, board members, build partners, sponsors, corporations, work places and the families who live in the Habitat Homes – we all work together. Habitat’s staff and board are currently meeting with developers and municipalities to come up with more ways we can work together and leverage our efforts. It is very exciting and rewarding work. I would like to invite you to join us to make a positive difference in the community in which we live.
Stacey Fenwick
Board Chair
Habitat for Humanity Okanagan
