Last Saturday, December 12th, Habitat for Humanity Sault Ste. Marie & Area hosted a small Dedication Ceremony to officially welcome their twelfth Habitat Homeowners into their new home on Oakwood Drive.
Tracy Poliquin, her daughter Riddley, and her mother Carol-Anne saw their finished home for the first time on Saturday afternoon. While Tracy and her family helped finish the painting and flooring of the home, Habitat kept the finished product – including the kitchen – a surprise until the ceremony.
“It turned out beautiful,” stated Tracy. “We are really excited right now – that it’s all finished … It has been an overwhelming blessing to be chosen as this year’s homeowner.”
Tracy and her family will receive their keys and move into their new Habitat home this week – just in time for Christmas. Tracy’s daughter, Riddley, has already planned which corner of the living room to set up their tree.
“It’s the best Christmas gift a family could ask for and I have really enjoyed being part of the process. Tracy, Riddley and Carol-Anne will be able to celebrate this holiday season from the safety and comfort of their own Habitat home” exclaims Frank Bentrovato, Board Chair at Habitat.
A number of community members stopped by in pre-arranged time slots to congratulate the family and see the home, including Mayor Christian Provenzano, Sam Biasucci of Sal Dan Construction Group, Justin Marchand of Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services, Randy Aikens of Soo Mill Buildall, as well as staff, board, and committee members from Habitat.
The family’s new home on Oakwood Drive is Habitat’s first fully accessible home. It is a slab-on-ground build featuring a spacious kitchen, a wide hallway and doorways, a roll-in shower, and lower-than-average light switches and thermostat. The home, built in partnership with Sal Dan Construction Group, also boasts a 15% reduction in energy consumption and is a “Holmes Approved Home,” meaning that it passed multiple third-party inspections beyond the normal municipal and consultant inspections done for most homes and is above today’s standards.
“We are so pleased with the Oakwood build. The quality of construction and the speed at which we were able to complete the project irrespective of the pandemic, are a testament to Habitat’s partners in the community. We are thankful for their support and we look forward to building again in 2021,” states Katie Blunt, Executive Director at Habitat.
Habitat is already looking forward to their next build on Wellington Street West, which will be a semi-detached home for two families. The non-profit will be announcing the 13th and 14th chosen Habitat Homeowners in the upcoming week.