A groundbreaking partnership will see a deserving family get a new home in Rama.
For the first time, Habitat for Humanity Ontario Gateway North has teamed up with Chippewas of Rama First Nation to build a house on Sweetgrass Road.
“This is a completely new direction for home building in our community and I’m excited to see how it unfolds,” Rama Chief Rodney Noganosh said during a ceremonial groundbreaking Wednesday morning. “It’s an opportunity to learn and grow in many different ways. This is the spirit of reconciliation.”
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) suggested Rama contact Habitat for Humanity about the build after a similar project was successful in Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation. That community worked with Habitat for Humanity Grey Bruce and was able to access funding from the CMHC’s Indigenous Housing Program to build a house for a family there. Money from that program was secured for the project in Rama.
“We are very excited about the idea of working shoulder to shoulder with your community,” Kimberley Woodcock, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Ontario Gateway North, said during Wednesday’s event.
Habitat for Humanity provides a solution, she said, for those who “live with the constant burden of uncertainty, stress and fear.”
Construction of the three-bedroom, 1,345-square-foot bungalow will continue throughout the summer, and the plan is to have the family move in by October, Woodcock said.
“If all goes well, we’d certainly like to do more (in Rama),” she said.
She encourages people to contribute by donating money or by volunteering to help with the build.
As project co-ordinator Dillon Bickell said, “It takes not just a family to raise a person; it takes a community to raise a family.”
For more information about how to get involved, visit habitatgatewaynorth.com or email [email protected].
