On a cold and snowy Thursday, Habitat for Humanity officially welcomed the final five families into their new homes as part of an affordable housing project on Piercy Ave.
The families moved into the homes in December. Built and funded by Habitat, the families that move in go through an application process to determine an income level and other qualifications and are also required to do 500 hours of community service in return.
The blustery conditions and soup on offer were a reminder to some families that they had reached a goal of home ownership that at one point seemed out of reach.
According to Eric Matschke and Michelle Mendez and their family of four, reaching this point in their life has been a long journey after moving to the Valley about 16 years ago.
“We have rented the entire time. The first place that we rented, we rented for about 10 years, and it was a great home, we made a lot of memories,” said Matschke. “Unfortunately, like a lot of people, we were told that our landlords were going to sell, and we had two months to move out.
“The housing crisis in the Comox Valley is very real. When we were told we had to move out of our home there were two houses on the rental market at that time.”
Mendez adds they were unable to get into either of those two homes, and the family had to jump around from home to home for many years before they were accepted into the Habitat housing.
“We were going to leave, we were going to go back to Ontario or just go to another project,” said Mendez.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been more stressed in my life. As a father, you want to be able to provide for your family and reduce the amount of stress on your loved ones as possible,” added Matschke.
“Having to go through that and not knowing whether we were going to find a place to live was incredibly stressful.”
He adds they are not the only ones who have been in this scenario, and many of their friends have left over the years in search of more affordable housing.
With stress greatly reduced, the home also provides accessible living for Mendez, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis while they were trying to find a home. The family says Habitat was able to make accommodations for her to make living easier.
The couple’s son, Alexander, adds he is looking forward to making memories in the home that will stay in the home and that he and his sister will each have their rooms.
Each family received a gift basket to signify the transfer of the homes on Thursday.
The housing has been christened “Wilks Place” in memory of Jim Wilks, a Comox Valley teacher who left the largest personal donation ever to Habitat for Humanity North Island. The gift he left was used to purchase the area the houses are built on.
“We are thrilled to welcome these wonderful families to their new homes on Piercy Ave.,” said Habitat for Humanity executive director Jeff West.
“This achievement is a testament to the collaborative efforts of our volunteers, donors, and community partners who all played a major role in making affordable housing a reality for these deserving families.”
