Habitat for Humanity partners with Markstay-Warren for affordable homes
Clement Goh | CBC News | Posted: July 21, 2023 10:00 AM | Last Updated: July 21, 2023
Five-year partnership to start with formal proceedings in fall 2023
Habitat for Humanity Ontario Gateway North and the municipality of Markstay-Warren, Ont. are looking to tackle an ongoing affordable housing shortage by creating modular homes.
"The municipality is ready and able to invite newcomers and give them a place to call home," the town wrote in a press release.
According to the municipality, they aim to build as many homes as possible while giving families in surrounding regions options.
The town is also offering land to Habitat for Humanity to start their latest building strategy with modular homes.
"We're going to build these homes differently, which we believe is the real proper way where the emphasis is on efficiency and building," said Michael Cullen, director of community partnerships with Habitat for Humanity Ontario Gateway North.
Each home's modular design uses a mix of prefabricated parts, recycled cold-rolled Canadian steel and 3D-printed components, he added.
"It's about a real emphasis on the construction methodology, so that a home can be built in a matter of weeks, as opposed to a matter of months with traditional build technology," Cullen said.
Building a two-bedroom home could save up to 40 trees while lowering costs for new buyers, he added.
The Municipality of Markstay-Warren said its biggest challenge was acquiring land in northern Ontario.
According to blueprints sent from Habitat for Humanity to CBC News, one bedroom unit would include a full porch and a driveway.
Entering the home, owners would be greeted by a kitchen connected to the common living and dining space.
The single-unit home would also include a bathroom across a garden space and second porch.
Families looking for more space can also finance a three-bedroom home with Habit for Humanity through its mortgage plans.
Cullen added the five-year plan leaves options to renew and build more homes beyond Markstay-Warren.
"We did stress that whatever we do in Markstay-Warren, we want to make it duplicatable to other smaller communities," he said.
"It could be 30 houses, 80 houses, 100 houses and even more. That's how we're going to solve part of this affordability crisis, by thinking on scale."