Heritage house moved in ground-breaking partnership

Photo by Adamski Photography Caledon Regional Councillor Allan Thompson holds an original photo of the George Elliott House, along with descendants Marilyn Watson and Lorna Elliott.

For two Brampton families, July 23 will always be remembered as the day their dream of living in a home of their own began to turn into a reality.

Thanks to Habitat for Humanity Brampton, Metrus Development Inc., the City of Brampton and the generosity of Habitat for Humanity sponsors, two Brampton families will soon become the proud owners of a 19th century heritage home. Known as the "George Elliott House" after its original owner who built the Ontario gothic style farmhouse in the 1860s, the structure was moved to a new address last Monday where it will be refurbished and rehabilitated into a semi-detached home.

"I'm glad to see it be rejuvenated," said Caledon Regional Councillor Allan Thompson, great-grandson of George Elliott - the Irish immigrant who built the house on land he bought in 1847. "It's been a little depressing driving by the past five or six years, seeing piles of dirt around it and the windows boarded up."

Suzanne Millington (new family, daughter), Thomas Fischer, Lorna Elliott (descendant of George Elliott), Marilyn Watson (descendant) and Councillor Allan Thompson (descendant) deliver the new mailbox to one of the families who will make the George Elliott House their home.

Thompson remembers sliding down the ornate wooden banister as a child at family gatherings.

"At one time it was a real showplace with gardens and flower beds second to none," he said. "It's great to see it brought back to life."

Thompson helped present a mailbox to Suzanne Millington, representing her family. On one side of the box was the Torbram Road address, on the other was the Sled Dog Address.

Volunteers, VIPs and community leaders were on-hand to officially launch the Elliott House Heritage Build. Toronto Argonauts' head coach Mike (Pinball) Clemons and four Argonaut players lent their support and muscle to the Habitat team as they launched the 360-ton house on its slow journey half a kilometre north to its new location. Descendants of George Elliott also joined about 200 volunteers, sponsors and community well-wishers for the occasion.

"The response to the Elliott House Heritage Build project has been overwhelming," said Thomas Fischer, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Brampton. "With the community's help Habitat Brampton has provided an opportunity for two families to experience homeownership for the first time. Refurbishing this heritage house into an affordable home is a winwin for everyone."

Renovation plans call for the construction of a new addition and the preservation of the heritage building's historical features.

Brampton is the first Habitat for Humanity affiliate in North America to refurbish a heritage house. Typically the group uses its volunteers and corporate donations to build affordable homes from the ground up. The major donation of the house and land by Metrus Development Inc., together with assistance and support from the City of Brampton, created the ground-breaking three-way partnership model.

Home builder sponsors The Home Depot Canada and Lafarge Canada have each sponsored one of the two home units. Their generous support will make it possible to complete the renovations at the building's new location. "Circle of Hope" level sponsors include Danco House Raising & Moving, the City of Brampton and Gates of Countryside.

For both Brampton working families, the chance for homeownership has been the opportunity of a lifetime. A minimum of 500 "sweat equity" hours is required as part of the commitment to becoming a Habitat partner family.

The Elliott House launch marked the culmination of months of preparation by Habitat for Humanity Brampton volunteers and extraordinary contributions of the city and private sector. The refurbishment and construction phase is expected to take three months before the families are able to move in.

Habitat for Humanity Brampton is a communitybased, non-profit, faithbased organization working for a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. Its mission is to mobilize volunteers and community partners in building simple, decent, affordable housing and promoting homeownership as a means to breaking the cycle of poverty.

Habitat Brampton was founded in 2000, is a member of Habitat for Humanity Canada, and part of a worldwide network that spans 100 countries, has built more than 225,000 homes, and is now building a new home every 21 minutes.

Habitat's goal is to have built 10 homes for 10 Brampton families by 2010.