  Representatives from the Toronto Police Service give Deserei Mathews (far right) and her children Shamonique, Victoria, Nigel and K-Manny the key to their new Habitat home. |
“Home for the holidays.” It’s the most evocative and touching concept of all at this time of year.
That’s why Habitat for Humanity Toronto chose to officially turn over 16 extra-special new houses to their delighted owners just before Christmas ’09, even though the dwellings aren’t quite ready for occupancy.
“It’s a dream that’s really come true,” said Deserei Matthews, who spoke on behalf of herself and the other grateful partner families at a jam-packed home dedication ceremony in a nearby public school in northeast Toronto.
A single mother, Matthews is among the 1,500 mostly female volunteers who began construction of the homes during HFH Toronto’s first-ever Women Build this past summer. Also lending their support from day one were former Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson, broadcaster Christine Bentley and interior designer Kimberley Seldon.
To qualify for home ownership, each of the families in need of decent housing had put in at least 500 hours of “sweat equity” working on various Habitat homes.
Now the Matthews and 15 other families are getting ready to leave their substandard, overcrowded current homes – most in dangerously blighted neighbourhoods – and move, early in the new year, into the Energy Star-rated houses they all helped build.
With shiny new front-door keys in hand, the families joined more than 200 volunteers, donors and organizers attending the dedication ceremony in a rousing version of “Oyee,” the cheer that kicks off each working day at a Habitat site. “In Swahili,” Matthews explained, “that means ‘We can do it.’”
“And we did,” remarked the event’s lively and humorous MC, popular actor and ToolGirl.com personality Mag Ruffman. Joining her at the podium was another of the Women Build ambassadors, former fashion model Monika Schnarre.
Also present at the December 20 celebration were representatives from some of the contributing partners who donated the labour of their employees to the Women Build and helped raise the $2 million-plus budget, including the Toronto Police Service, the Verity women’s club and a number of corporate sponsors.
Asked whether there was anything that distinguished the Women Build from other Habitat builds, Ruffman quipped, “Well, we had a can-can dance on the first day. That was different!”
Why was the decision made to undertake the unprecedented Woman Build in the first place? Neil Hetherington, CEO of HFH Toronto, says the underlying concept was to spotlight the fact that more than 30% of Habitat partner families are headed by single mothers, and that one in seven Canadian women – most of whom have children – is currently living below the poverty line.
As well as helping give 16 families a wonderful new start, Hetherington says that the project aimed to “generate thousands of new donors and volunteers to increase our ongoing build capacity.”
With those goals accomplished, he says that another Woman Build is already being planned for 2011.
Meanwhile, volunteers – female or otherwise – are still needed to complete the interiors of the cluster of homes that an army of women built. If you’d like to help “give a hand up, not a handout,” visit torontohabitat.ca.
