Christmas comes early for three Windsor families

Ontario Construction News staff writer

Three Windsor families are home for the holidays, thanks to the determination of Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Essex, and the dedication and work of dozens of volunteers.

For Josaphat Rwamihigo, volunteering more than 500 hours on the builds not only gave his family a new home in Windsor’s Ford City, his hard work also gave him a career in construction after two contractors helping to build the homes offered him employment opportunities.

So, just in time for Christmas, Josephat is celebrating with his family in their new home and embarking on a career in the construction industry.

“Our children have a place where they can grow and make their dreams come true,” he said at the dedication ceremony.

The lots on St. Luke have been a “labour of love” for volunteers since 2019.

“We have finally brought three more families home. While the pandemic may have slowed our start on the latest homes, the community rose to the challenge to complete three homes in time for the holidays,” said Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Essex executive director Fiona Coughlin.

City of Windsor staff helped navigate the challenges of the lots for six months before shovels could hit the ground. Just under three months ago, the Windsor Essex Home Builders Association started framing and for the past two months volunteers from Ford Motor Company joined Habitat’s regular volunteers to get these homes completed for three families, including 13 children.

Framing four houses in three days at the end of September, crews worked hard – rain or shine.

“What you would have seen this morning, was basically holes in the ground,” said Coughlin. “And now by the end of this weekend, you’re going to see what looks like houses.”

While the crews got to work, the WEHBA presented a $1,200 donation to Habitat For Humanity, money raised at the annual golf tournament through raffles and draws.

“We’ve got members, framing crews, we have sub-trades, we have a bunch of different people that are members of the home builders association, here working hard, getting dirty, playing in the mud. Doing what needs to be done to get these houses built for these needy families,” President of the WEHBA Vince Lapico said on Day 2 of the build.

As a result, three families, including 13 children, have new homes.

One of the new homeowners is a recently widowed mother of five whose husband died of COVID-19 last May. They had been living in a two-bedroom apartment.

Sarah and her three children had to move when their landlord sold the house they had been renting. The single mom completed her 500 volunteer hours and kept working to complete the 500 hours that her widowed future neighbour was unable to contribute.

Josephat and Mapendo Rwamihigo and their five children arrived in Canada after fleeing the troubled Congo. Despite both parents working, they were unable to own a home without Habitat.

Local Habitat officials say it was a daunting experience to complete three houses in less than four months with supply chain issues, COVID and labour shortages. The organization turned to the community support, including from volunteers in the skilled trades, to help bring costs down and a fourth house on St. Luke will be finished this spring.

The renewal project was designed to meet specifications in Windsor’s community improvement plan and to accommodate large families.

Three more Ford City builds located on Henry Ford Centre Drive are in the planning stages, along with five additional projects in Old Sandwich Town.

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