By Bryan Eneas

New Habitat for Humanity home benefits family, community

Jun 6, 2018 | 8:00 AM

A local family will soon have some new digs courtesy of Habitat for Humanity.

The Prince Albert chapter of the charitable organization donated a house to the Shar family. It turns out, the third time applying was the charm.

“[There] was three attempts… My wife pushed me really hard to get it, so I listened to her, and we got it,” Lehnay Shar said.

Shar got to see his and his family’s new house for the first time on June 6; previously, he and his children saw it when they drove past the Saskatchewan Polytechnic campus.

“We are very excited; every time when I drove by [the campus], my kids, they told me ‘We have to go this way, we want to see our house,’” Shar said.

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During her speech, Prince Albert Habitat for Humanity President Victoria Jurgens noted Habitat for Humanity homes generate roughly $175,000 in benefits to society per partner family.

She said each family is required to put in some 500 hours of “sweat equity” in order to help repay the organization for their home. Jurgens noted the Shar family went above and beyond in terms of the hours they’re putting in.

“Some families go way above and beyond their 500 hours; they just want to get it done and get into their home as fast as they can,” Jurgens said. “This family, it’s easy to see, they’re going to be out and helping others.”

The house was constructed by students at Saskatchewan Polytech, courtesy of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the school and Habitat for Humanity. In total, five houses were to be built; the Shar family home is the fourth such house to be completed under the agreement.

With the agreement nearing completion, Jurgens said she hopes to see a new memorandum of understanding reached.

“We’ll have to talk to Sask PolyTech; I think they appreciate the relationship as well, so I hope we can continue,” Jurgens said.

Dan Duperreault, the associate dean for the school of transportation and construction at Sask Poly Tech, welcomed the idea of extending the Memorandum of Understanding.

“The applied learning is a fantastic thing, it’s something that we pride ourselves on,” Duperrault said. “Something like a house for Habitat, it’s fantastic because it’s a true project, that people will live in.”

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas