House to Home - Habitat for Humanity

    I have had the opportunity to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity before. It was over the summer, and I had to shingle a roof. Clearly, this was something that I thought I would not do again. However, what a way to start a month!

I'm working hard!

    We were able to roof the the whole house by the time we were ready to leave for lunch. The house, however, was nowhere near completion. It only had a frame and an unstable roof (trust me, there were no carpenter's in our class). I thought it would take at least 4 more month's for the house to be completed. However, a few of us went back two weeks later, and it actually was a house almost! There were walls and windows, and even a doorway, all done in just two weeks. We were able to learn that the houses are usually completed in about six to eight weeks. Most developments, like Del Webb, can throw up a house in a matter of one to two weeks, but they are not made with nearly as much love as the ones done by Habitat for Humanity. 

    To be able to own a house in most developments, you need to make much more than $16,450 for a family of four. Habitat is one of the few non-profit organizations that help families that are often in situations where they are making such a small salary. For a family of four to be able to own a Habitat home, the income level is between $16,450 and $35,685. The monthly mortgage payment for a four bedroom house is usually about $450. That includes the $25 monthly Home Owner's Association fee also. There are also many other amenities that make the South Ranch development more like a community than anything else. The Stardust house provides after school care for the 450 residents that are under 18. There is a computer lab that all residents are able to use, and a well-kept park in the center of it all.

    The anxieties that many of the surrounding communities had about Habitat for Humanity coming into their "neighborhood" were not justified. Habitat has been a good neighbor and has been able to provide many things that these families would not be able to receive else where.