FERGUS – It was 15-year-old Shona’s and 12-year-old Kelvin’s first time seeing the inside of what will soon be their new home.
Lana Nagarigari, their mother, stood nearby beaming as the teens bantered over whose room was whose and where the TV would go.
“Soak it in,” she said.
Afternoon sunlight poured in through windows, bathing the newly constructed condo-style unit in a yellow glow as Shona and Kelvin stared out behind the townhouses at an expansive farm field.
It’s a welcome change from a tiny, unkempt apartment building in downtown Guelph that Nagarigari can’t move out of soon enough.
“The last few years have been a challenge; the housing market has gone up, rents are high,” she said.
When she first saw the unit last month, Nagarigari was overcome with emotion and wept.
Home ownership in Canada is no longer feasible for the majority, the single mom and social worker said.
“It’s a dream,” she said. Hers has come true.
Lana Nagarigari, far right, listens to her children talk about the future in their new home at Garafraxa Village in Fergus, Habitat for Humanity Guelph Wellington’s newest build.
Nagarigari’s family is one of 22 families and individuals moving into Habitat for Humanity Guelph Wellington’s newest build located at 645 Garafraxa Street West in the coming months.
By June 2026, all 32 units in the three-storey stacked townhomes built on the one-acre property are expected be occupied by Habitat buyers, according to CEO Steve Howard.
Planning the $13.5-million build began following a $340,000 land purchase from Fergus-based manufacturer A.O. Smith in November 2022. Ground was officially broken a year later.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Habitat housing partnerships director Kathryn Stokes.
It’s the second stacked townhouse village the local Habitat affiliate has built, following a 2018 shift from single-detached homes with Cityview Village in Guelph.
“It allows us to build at a greater scale, make a greater impact in the community, and provide more homes,” Stokes said.
Chibuikem Uzochukwu recalled lying awake at night, 14 months ago in his cramped downtown Guelph apartment, after finding out he and his wife Deborah were expecting twins.
The prospect of finding a larger space for his growing family on his income as a developmental services worker became more dismal with each rental viewing.
He considered loans and drawing on a line of credit to cover outsized rent payments in Guelph.
According to a Rental.ca report, a two-bedroom apartment in Guelph currently costs $28,000 per year to rent.
“It’s so expensive. It’s troublesome,” Uzochukwu said.
Chibuikem Uzochukwu will be moving into Garafraxa Village with his wife Deborah and 14-month-old twins.
After complaining to a coworker, he was told about Habitat for Humanity.
He gave it a chance, worrying throughout the months-long application process that he wasn’t going to get approved.
“We were praying,” he said. Then the news came. Champagne was popped.
“Habitat made it possible for me to get a house,” he said.
Eleven years of paying rent “into a black hole” since arriving in Canada in 2014 will soon be behind him, Uzochukwu said.
The builder and seller of its homes, Habitat provides working people a chance to afford a market-price dwelling with a dual-mortgage system and tailored payments.
The first mortgage is issued by a bank at a rate limited to 30 per cent of a person’s income.
A second mortgage – passive, interest free and backed by Habitat – fills in for what the first mortgage doesn’t cover.
A homeowner in Garafraxa Village will pay an average of roughly $363,000 on a unit purchased at $418,000, after grants and forgivable loans.
Costs vary, with floor plans ranging between 966 and 1,311 feet.
A down payment, at 1.5 per cent of the purchase price, covers closing costs.
When a home is eventually sold, the owner and Habitat share the appreciation.
Stokes, the Habitat partnerships director, said sharing equity helps the charity to keep building.
Habitat’s “Restore” used housewares and furniture store is a large contributor of revenue, and funding comes from donations, community bonds, government and investors.
At an Oct. 18 event celebrating the development, 12 of the families and individuals soon to move in to the units were on stage for photo-ops following officials’ remarks at a gathering of at least 200 people.
A Habitat for Humanity event on Oct. 18 celebrated the charity’s newest build, Garafraxa Village, in Fergus.
Howard said more than $10 million had been raised toward the project from various funders.
“We couldn’t do this without the community being a part of what we do,” Howard said.
Centre Wellington Mayor Shawn Watters said township council is trying to balance urban boundaries, growth and agriculture.
“We need to be thinking about things like this; we need to grow up a little bit, we need to intensify,” he said.
Nagarigari agreed, saying, “There’s a lot of need for this in the market.”
While her children make their rooms their own, Nagarigari’s decorating will have to wait.
She’ll be out on the balcony drinking tea and reading a book as she breathes in the fresh air and pinches herself.
“Keep trying, keep believing and surround yourself with the right support system,” Nagarigari said.
“Hope is powerful,” she added. “It’s what keeps us moving forward.”
Habitat for Humanity Guelph Wellington continues to accept applications for Garafraxa Village.
Among other eligibility factors, an income between $64,000 and $130,000 is required.
Visit garafraxavillage.ca.
