Imagine Build blitz underway at Oneida Nation of the Thames

A three-day blitz build of an accessible home on the Oneida Nation of the Thames has begun.

Hundreds of trades and volunteers are working to complete the next step in the Imagine Build Project.

The goal is to construct four accessible homes in the Nation through fundraising and philanthropy.

Two of the homes are already complete.

By Sunday afternoon, the third home will be ready.

Before sunrise Friday, the blitz site was buzzing. Multiple sub-trades are assisting prominent area builder Doug Tarry who has taken the project to heart.

“It’s heartbreaking to see the challenges they are having with their housing crisis and not be able to get homes built,” he said.

But on this day, it is the opposite.

Doug Tarry. Oct. 20, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)“It’s a lot of planning and scheduling. Determining who is going to do what and at what time,” stated Abe Penner, a volunteer framer at the site.

Within a few hours, Penner’s work was complete. Crews were ready for the next step.

“It’s roughly around 10 a.m. now and we’re just getting ready to fire the roof on the house, ”explained an excited Tarry.

Oneida Nation of the Thames Chief Todd Cornelius witnessed several stages of construction.

“It’s coming true today what we have imagined. So, it’s a good feeling today,” he shared with CTV News.

Oneida Nation of the Thames Chief Todd Cornelius on Oct. 20, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)While construction will be complete by Sunday, the foundation of this project keeps expanding.

Tarry has announced plans to start training programs on Oneida.

“Our hope is through Imagine Build, we can educate the community and help them do it themselves and to help them be able to develop their own construction programs for Oneida.”

“Hopefully this is the start of many more homes coming to the community. It’s just a matter of showing we can all come together,” Cornelius shared with a smile.