The government of Canada launched the Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI) in June 2000 to strengthen relationships with the voluntary sector and to provide capacity support to the sector. With the financial support of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Frontiers Foundation organized a Conference on Self-Help Housing that was held in Ottawa, November 29 to December 1, 2002. The Conference attracted some 50 delegates from across Canada, primarily from the self-help sub-sector. These delegates wanted to visit a prospective housing project organized by Frontiers Foundation and paid a visit to Mr. Steve Barrie's home in Almonte on a snowy day November 29th. Delegates witnessed the poverty and deplorable housing conditions in the outskirts of Canada's capital. Mr. Barrie's house had large cracks in the wall (you could put your fingers right through to the outside), low ceilings, and had no running water and lots of draughts in the winter. However, well before the Conference on Self-Help Housing, Skills & Initiatives and social worker with APS Louise Jacek already contacted Frontiers Foundation on this exciting project and FF Regional Coordinator Benno Ticheloven paid a visit to 39 Harold Street in Almonte to find out what needed to be done.

The main objective of this project was to improve housing by building a brand new safe three bedroom frame house. Secondary objectives were to recruit volunteers and enlist other social agencies and/or businesses in the area.

One of the strategies undertaken by Skills & Initiatives was to send an open letter signed by its Executive Director to the area businesses and neighbors The note read as follows: Skills & Initiatives and other local agencies, with funding and support from the Frontiers Foundation, will be building a new home for a low-income Métis family in Almonte. Their current house is falling down, dangerous, unhealthy, and can't be repaired. We're counting on the local community to help us out with donated labour and materials to finish the house. This is where you come in. Please take some time over the next few weeks to think about ways in which you might want to participate in this project. Could you provide labour or expertise for a particular aspect of construction? Could you donate, or provide at cost, materials for part of the house? Do you know of another business that might become a partner in this project? We already have donations of paint, flooring, carpets, and rafters. All contributions, great or small, will be gratefully accepted and acknowledged in the local media. Someone from our organizing committee will pay you a personal visit in the near future. In the meantime, should you have any questions or want to firm up your involvement early, please feel free to contact me at anytime. Yours sincerely, (signed) David Pringle, Executive Director, Skills & Initiatives Projects Telephone (613) 283-8169.

Second strategy was to come up with the architectural design of the three bedroom house. Third strategy was to set up the construction schedule. Fourth strategy to recruit volunteers. Fifth strategy to come up with a list of construction materials and order them as needed. Sixth strategy construction of the house from day one to open house. Seventh strategy prepare a press release about the good news "Almonte House One Completed". Eighth strategy was the invitation and open house held on Friday January 30, 2004..

After organizing local support and donations, and wading through a pile of paperwork and work permit (building permit fee has been waived by the Town of Almonte), ground was broken in August 2003. From there, construction moved along quickly, all done by volunteers. Liss Larson, the construction coordinator from the Frontiers Foundation, planned the house and supervised the volunteer builders and contractors who donated their time. The family themselves participated every day to help build their own house, putting in hundreds of hours of sweat equity. Ontario Works volunteers helped out regularly. And local individuals and organizations provided an endless stream of food and refreshments for the builders, as well finding gently used furniture and appliances for the new house. Brenda & David Graham agreed to paint baseboards and wall board; United Way of Lanark County agreed to cover expenses for electrical work; Alan Goddard agreed to plan landscaping; Mississipi United Construction, Cooney Landscaping, Richard Carroll, Stephen Brathwaite, Thoburn Mill, and Almonte Rent-All agreed to help; Jane Torrance has offered to maintain a list of donors at the HUB (a grassroots organization fuelled by the proceeds of a second-hand clothing and housewares store); Local Lions Club made donations; Thanks to the Town of Mississipi Mills for all their help in guiding the team through the red tape; Satellite Truss in Merrickville donated the roof trusses; Lambden Window offered a generous discount on windows & doors; Rideau Lumber in Smiths Falls has donated dozens of gallons of paint and building materials (delivered on site); Country Carpet in Perth donated flooring; Clifford Tubman did the plumbing; Liss Larson did the electrical wiring; Workboots, safety hats/glasses supplied by Skills & Initiatives; Pat Kemp who was a steadfast laborer throughout the construction; Fred Dinelle, project manager while Liss Larson was away; Julia Thomas, Natasha Hollback, Doreen O'Meara, who took charge of organizing food for the construction crew; Steven's mother Laura worked every day; plus civil society at large and churches all got involved on this initiative addressing a global issue such as poverty and homelessness. Local citizens do care about global issues and engaged effectively on this project to take action in their own backyard.

The construction of Steve Barrie's house in Almonte, near Ottawa was completed after 4 months of volunteer labour including Operation Beaver volunteers from Belgium (Sven Theuns), from England (Paul Collins) and a number of local volunteers from Almonte itself. The main characteristic of this project is the involvement of the house owner accomplished through the use of sweat equity labour thus contributing to the self-esteem of the household. Open House was held on Friday January 30th, 2004 at 1 p.m. to celebrate the completion of the house. Steve Barrie's story is only one example that helped in the eradication of poverty in Canada's third world. It is amazing what can happen when a community pulls together. In a little over a year since the idea was first discussed, a family has gone from living in very poor conditions to being the proud owners of a lovely, energy efficient house and still on the same property as their original homestead. Now, Mr. Barrie's new house is warm and cozy for him, his mother Laura and son Ryan (6 years old). And now that their bit of notoriety is over, they can get back to the business of life and living, knowing that their new home was built partly with their own sweat and tears. The three bedroom frame house R-2000 energy efficient was built in over four months. The local newspaper, The Gazette (April 1, 2003), The Record News of Smiths Falls (October 24, 2003; New Toronto TV Cable (January 30, 2004), and the Ottawa Citizen, January 31, 2004 all helped to spread the good news.

An interesting footnote to this project is that Steve Barrie's neighbours who had offered thousand of dollars to Steve to vacate his old shack in 2002, are now rejoicing because this new "best house in the subdivision" has raised their property values.