MennoHomes

Article by Barb Draper
Editorial Assistant - Canadian Mennonite

Floradale, Ont.

MennoHomes Inc. brought a proposal to develop affordable housing for Low German families to its annual general meeting on Nov. 17 at Floradale Mennonite Church. Until now, MennoHomes projects have been in Kitchener or Waterloo, but this initiative would be in a rural part of Waterloo Region because Mennonites from Mexico and Latin America prefer to live in the country.

To establish the need, a panel of individuals who work with Low German Mennonites described housing conditions they have seen. Esther Janzen and Brenda Gingerich, family support workers with the St. Jacobs Family Support Centre, described dilapidated houses where staying warm in winter is a big challenge. They expressed concern about mould on walls and wood stoves from which small children can easily suffer burns. Gingerich pointed out that some families are happy because they come from situations where living conditions are even worse.

Sue Martin and Shirley Redekop work with low-income families in Wellesley and Woolwich townships through the Community Action Program for Children of Waterloo Region. They described 12 people living in a small three-bedroom house and other housing with broken windows and poorly fitting doors leading to winter heating bills of as much as $1,000 a month.

Peggy Snyder, a nurse practitioner at the Woolwich Community Health Centre, pointed out that, although there is no clear causal link between housing and health, she said “safety issues, crowding, drafty homes, dusts and moulds all have implications to health.”

Lily Hiebert Rempel, the Low German Program Coordinator for MCC Ontario, was a community health nurse in neighbouring Wellington County for many years. She commented that many men work in rural parts of Waterloo Region, but live at a distance because they cannot find appropriate housing.

Martin Buhr, the president of the MennoHomes board, reviewed statistics showing that there are about 5,000 Low German-speaking adults and children in the rural areas of Waterloo Region. While these families are larger than average Canadian families, their household incomes are modest. Those who work with the Low German community estimate that there are 130 households in the townships where families are spending more than 30 percent of their gross income to pay rent, heat and hydro, and where standards of health and safety are not being met.

In the ensuing discussion, the MennoHomes board was encouraged to think beyond building new units that would only help a few families. There seemed to be a general agreement to Aaron Klassen’s comment, “You’ve convinced me that the need is there.”

MennoHomes presently has no government funding for this project, but Trevor Bauman, the treasurer from St. Jacobs Mennonite Church, announced that Selina Horst left a bequest to the church, stipulating that the money be used for refugee work. Because Horst was known for her tireless work in helping new families from Mexico in the years before her health declined, St. Jacobs Mennonite decided to give $50,000 of that bequest to MennoHomes specifically for developing affordable housing for Low German Mennonites.

Although there is no clear causal link between housing and health, ‘safety issues, crowding, drafty homes, dusts and moulds all have implications to health.’ (Peggy Snyder).