Habitat house sold

o Proceeds from sale will help to fund future construction

A house for a low income family, built with volunteer labour and donations, has been sold six months after the family took possession.

The Habitat for Humanity house on Alder Street was completed in the spring of 2007 and the Boileau family took possession in November.

But Florence Barton, chair of Habitat for Humanity South Okanagan, says the family could no longer afford the house and had to sell it.

She says the house has been bought by one of the construction supervisors who helped to build it.

“We hope people will understand that their efforts were not wasted,” Barton says.

She adds that the money from the sale will pay for land to house three other families in the region.

At present, Habitat has received a lot in Penticton but does not have permission to build there.

A family has already been chosen for the proposed house.

The next Habitat house will be another single-family building, but in the future, Barton says the group wants to construct multi-family buildings.

With land donated or sold at low costs and with much donated material and volunteer labour, Habitat can build a house which can be sold to a family for $150,000 to $175,000.

Habitat for Humanity was founded in the United States in 1976 and came to Canada in 1985.

More than 700 Habitat homes have been dedicated in Canada.

The homes are sold to families who need affordable housing, are able to repay a Habitat mortgage and are willing to provide at least 500 hours of volunteer labour in building their home.

The house on Alder Street was the first one constructed by Habitat for Humanity South Okanagan.