The
SPRING 2002
BLUEPRINT The Quarterly Newsletter of the Habitat For Humanity Society of Greater Vancouver _________________________________________________________________________________________
The Habitat for Humanity building site at 8745 Government Street
Photo by Baila Lazarus
Phase One Complete! By Tyler Sampson BURNABY – The Habitat for Humanity Society of Greater Vancouver has completed phase one of the Government Street townhouse development, the largest and most ambitious project to be attempted by Habitat Vancouver. Located at 8745 Government Street, the four
new townhouses are but the first part of a larger project. In total, the Government Street project will be twenty-seven townhouses built in five phases. Finishing phase one means that four low-income working families will soon be moving–in and will begin to work towards the goal of home ownership. Through volunteer labour and generous sponsors, Habitat is able to provide the selected
families with an interest-free mortgage and a down payment made in “sweat equity.” The Habitat philosophy of “a hand-up, not a hand-out,” is the key to successful housing developments. Instead of giving away housing, the families, the volunteers and the donors all invest in a stable, long-term solution to poverty housing.