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| HAL Partnership wins Pillar's Community Award for CollaborationLSTAR's "Home at Last" (HAL) Partnership with Habitat for Humanity-London and CMHC won Pillar's prestigious Community Award for Collaboration. Working together, the three organizations have made the dream of home ownership possible for two families, with another renovation underway. Time to Move House!Time to move house… literally! On Monday, June 13, 2011, London Mayor Joe Fontana joined "Home at Last" Partners LSTAR, CMHC and Habitat for Humanity to move a home donated by the City for the program from its old foundations to a new location. The home will be renovated to basic, decent modern standards, then sold at a fair and affordable price to a local family. "Home At Last" makes the dream of affordable home ownership a reality for low income families. Click here to read more.
London Partnership Helps Local Family Realize Dream of Home Ownership
Scott and Melissa Moss and their son are moving into their new Burslem Street home following extensive renovations, which began in July, 2010. Home at Last is a partnership made up of the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® (LSTAR), Habitat for Humanity and CMHC. The goal of this partnership is to help families currently residing in rental housing achieve their dream of home ownership and to improve the existing housing stock in the City of London. Click here to read the full story or watch the video below. 
Click here to view the video. HAL’s objectives:1. To strengthen the community by assisting tenant families who reside in assisted housing realize the dream of owning their own home and in doing so, to free up an assisted housing unit for a household on the London and Middlesex Housing Corporation (LMHC) waiting list.2. To build strong public-private partnerships between organizations with complementary goals and interests. 3. To grow the pool of skilled labour in our community through education and hands on training in the trades to students/apprentices wishing to pursue a career in construction/renovation. 4. To use existing infrastructure to revitalize neighbourhoods through direct investment and through a commitment to improving the quality of life in our communities on the part of families and the Partners. 5. To educate homeowners in the responsibilities inherent in homeownership. HAL’s Guiding Principles:1. To the degree possible, reflect a broad-based representation of all partners.2. Support the affordable housing objectives identified by the City of London. 3. Provide a valuable community service. 4. Support and expand those initiatives that prove to be successful. 5. To grow the Partnership and/or similar models that result in the creation of affordable housing in our community. Why was the project needed?According to the London Homeless Coalition’s London Report Card released in May 2006, there were 7,975 social housing units in 2005. As of October 31, 2006, the wait list for assisted housing numbered 3,442. In other words, only about half of the households with an identified need for assisted housing are being accommodated by the system. Approximately 600 Londoners access emergency shelters monthly.Conversely, London has a shortage of skilled tradespersons, which the London Economic Development Corporation has identified as a barrier to the region’s continued economic development and viability in the future. London also has an adequate supply of properties that would meet the criteria of being inexpensive enough that a low-income family could afford the mortgage on them, but be in bad enough shape that they are uninhabitable and/or uninsurable without significant renovation and rehabilitation. How was the project funded?• LSTAR is provided all administrative services, absorbed all administrative costs (including staff time, resources and the purchase of such items as accounting software), and was responsible for reporting to the City on the progress of the project• LHBA, as its contribution, is providing manpower and quality assurance – its Builders were in charge of and supervised every aspect of the renovations from the drawing board to completion. • A great many individuals and organizations come forward to donate both goods and services, and threw phenomenal amounts of effort and in-kind contributions. A list of these donors is found below. • The City of London stepped forward with a contribution of $10,000.00 to the project, for which we are very grateful. ConclusionHome At Last:• creates genuinely affordable home ownership – an objective that is consistent with the recommendations of the London City Council’s Affordable Housing Task Force as well as those of its Affordable Housing Strategy. • supports and fosters housing models/partnerships that are not solely dependent on municipal funding. Moreover it provides an excellent example of partnership between the Federal Government (CMHC), the municipal government and the private sector. • takes families off the waiting list for assisted housing at the same time as it provides homeownership to families previously residing in assisted housing. Households can move through the system more quickly and with better outcomes. • creates home ownership far faster and much less expensively than by new builds. • rejuvenates neighbourhoods by revitalizing existing housing stock. • is in line and in sync with SmartGrowth principles, e.g., infill, intensification, as promoted by the City’s Planning Department. • provides a training ground for much-needed skilled tradespersons (as the LEDC has identified the shortage of skilled tradespersons in the London CMA as a serious impediment to the City’s growth and future prosperity). DonorsAdvanced Environmental Corp.Alarmtech Systems for Life Artisan Interiors Inc. Battlefield Equipment Rentals Blinds by Design Bridlewood Homes Centennial Windows Mike Carson, Royal LePage Triland Central London Painters Rocky Cerminara City of London Copp’s Building Materials Ltd. County Heritage Forest Products Ltd. Covenant Construction Coyle & Greer Awards Canada Ltd. Delta Faucet Canada DMJ Contracting Emco Ford Keast LLP GAF Materials Corporation Gentek Building Products Great Northern Insulation Home Depot Home Hardware Building Supplies London East Jan Litwin Construction Jobi Construction Libro Financial Group Limited Edition Painting and Decorating Inc. London Home Basics London Home Inspection London Webmasters A. B. Lucas Secondary School Middlesex Appliance Limited Mansfield Plumbing Mirolin Industries Corp. Mustang Exteriors Inc. North Pole Trim & Supplies Ltd. Paton Bros. Plumbing Ltd. Pinpoint Publications Limited Pro Electric Inc. RBC Royal Bank Reliance Home Comfort Renew Building & Design Ltd. RenewAbility Energy Rheem Canada Richard Gillespie S.W.Atchison Plumbing & Heating Ltd. Showerline Sales Ltd. Sifton Properties Limited Siskinds LLP 3895 Strik, Baldinelli & Associates Ltd. The Carpet Department Top Notch Nursery & Landscaping Treeline Kitchens -- London Trim-Rite Wood Products Inc. Try Recycling Inc. Vince Bogdanski Real Estate Z Group For Further InformationHome at Last is currently undergoing a transition and an exciting new project is underway. For further information about the project, please contact LSTAR at 519-641-1400.. This information is provided by the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS®. The information herein is believed to be accurate and timely, but no warranty as such is expressed or implied. | |||||||||||||||||
A London family received on November 24, 2010 the keys to their new home at an event marking the completion of the city's second Home at Last project.London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS®, 342 Commissioners Rd.W., London, Ontario. N6J 1Y3 - Phone 519-641-1400 - Fax 519-641-4613
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