A Habitat for Humanity home in Fredericton is on the auction block after conditions in the home deteriorated and the owners decided they wanted out.

Problems since the family moved into the house on the city's north side have included holes in walls, damaged fixtures and mold from shutting off the air exchanger in order to lower their power bill, said Mike Ross, executive director of Habitat for Humanity, Fredericton Northwest.

The family left the Kaine Street home. Now the non-profit organization has been forced to fix up the house and sell it off, said Ross.

Although this is the first time the Fredericton Habitat for Humanity group has been faced with such a situation, it's a challenge faced by its partner organizations across the country, he said.

"In most cases, people are so thrilled for the opportunity that they jump right into that,” said Ross.

“But in almost every case, there is no history of home ownership, and so that is a real challenge in getting families up to speed with what it means and what those responsibilities are."

Home ownership classes starting

Homeowners are required to put in at least 500 hours of work building the home, but Ross says many also need education.

Next month the group is launching a series of classes where Habitat for Humanity families will learn the basics of plumbing, maintenance, finances and other essentials for new homeowners.

Meanwhile, anti-poverty activist Dan Weston says the help organizations like Habitat for Humanity offer may not be enough for some low-income families.

"You're at the vagary of the market, and pricing, so everything, especially power, et cetera, are always going up," said Weston, of the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization.

"There's never a downside to this, which would be nice to see, because people could use a reduction in prices instead of always going up. But that's the way it is," he said.