By: Michelle Poirier
The Dalton Road 6-home affordable housing development site, run by Habitat for Humanity GTA, is back up and running and looking for volunteers after shutting down due to COVID-19.
“After temporarily closing our site, we reopened it with new health and safety protocols. However, we need volunteers to help finish the project on time for families to move in,” Noah Kravitz, Senior Manager, Communications for Habitat for Humanity GTA, said in an email.
There will be a maximum of 10 volunteers at a time, and masks or face coverings are mandatory. They will also require staff and volunteers to sign a health screening intake form, according to Habitat for Humanity GTA’s August 19 media release.
“We are cleaning and sanitizing our construction tools and PPE after every use. We also encourage volunteers to come with their own steel toe boots, safety glasses, gloves and a mask if they can,” Wayne Dempsey, Vice President of Construction, said in the media release.
The build began in the summer of 2019, and, when finished, the development will be home to six lower-income families who need a place to live.
“Becoming a Habitat homeowner will open up a whole new world for my daughters and me. It will do so much for my girls’ sense of personal efficacy and service to others. Most importantly, it will improve our family’s overall well-being,” Greer Atkinson, a future resident of the development, said in the press release.
They are looking for residents of Georgina, or cottage goers in the area, to spend some time volunteering on the building site. No construction experience is required as volunteers will work under the guidance of the crew leaders.
They need volunteers throughout the remainder of August and into September and are hoping to have the families moved in by the end of the year. To get more information or to sign up as a volunteer, visit their website https://habitatgta.volunteerhub.com/.
