The Bouchard family is now in possession of keys to their new house on London Street after spending more than a decade living as renters in subsidized housing on Second Line West.
Their home was made possible through the Affordable Home Ownership Program, a born-in-the-Sault partnership between the District of Sault Ste. Marie Social Services Administration Board (DSSAB) and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing which buys and renovates homes locally in an effort to help households living in subsidized housing become homeowners.
Emily Bouchard said she had “lots of butterflies” during Tuesday’s ribbon cutting event as she was unlocking the door to the family’s “forever home.”
“We can’t thank everybody enough for everything that they’ve done,” Bouchard told reporters during the event. “It’s a big step from where we were to now.”
Sault Ste. Marie MPP Ross Romano told onlookers and stakeholders that the Affordable Home Ownership Program is an example of “getting together and doing some good” in the community, as it rejuvenates the neighbourhood and gives a family a home, all while creating jobs.
A number of Ontario Works clients are trained by social services to repair and renovate the homes, providing them with hands-on experience in the construction trades.
“It’s awesome to see community partnerships like this. I’m really, really happy with the initiative that was brought forward by Coun. Dufour, to be able to bring this forward,” Romano said.
The idea to launch the Affordable Home Ownership Program was originally conceived by DSSAB Chair and Ward 2 Coun. Luke Dufour in 2019.
The program has now acquired and fixed up three homes in the Sault as a result of $299,000 in start-up funding from DSSAB and a $900,000 contribution from the province.
“Here today we have solid, hard proof of a program — of an intervention — that has not only helped the family, the neighbourhood and the community, but it’s also helped our wonderful construction maintenance program folks find skills development and be part of something bigger,” Dufour said during the event. “My favourite part about this program is the way that it brings community together, and the way that it allows us to tell a better story about our neighbourhoods.”
Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said the Affordable Home Ownership Program is a “tremendous means to address a significant challenge facing our community.”
“Home ownership, we all know, has its benefits: research has consistently shown the importance of housing on the economy, the financial security of individual homeowners. But we know the impact goes beyond that,” said the mayor during Tuesday’s ribbon cutting ceremony. “In addition to the tangible financial benefits, home ownership brings substantial social benefits for communities and families.
“Home ownership boosts education, performance in children, higher participation in civic volunteerism activities, and it improves health-care outcomes. So owning a home, as our family will be able to do today, will improve not just their lives — it’ll improve our community.”
Bouchard, who works as a security guard, said she ultimately wanted to provide stable housing for her two children.
“It’s nice to know that I have something for my children that’s not rented — something that’s guaranteed ours for our family to live in,” she said. “My biggest excitement is that we have something for them to live in.”