DIY Project Idea - Build a House!

Sorry for the light posting as of late!  I’d like to say I’ve been busy with work; however, for the past week – and the rest of this week, too – I’ve been getting up at a ridiculous hour to head over to the WKNO-FM station and man the phones for their fall pledge drive.  WKNO-FM provides a wonderful service to the Mid-South, broadcasting NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered, along with other news, information, entertainment, and food-themed programming and incredible locally-selected classical music.  Really, I can’t even fathom a world where NPR isn’t a free and easily accessed resource.  If you haven’t called in or submitted your support online yet, won’t you please consider it?  Anyway, the change in my schedule, coupled with a new addition to our family, has left me with little time to sit and write.  I promise to adapt better in the future.  Now, on to the blog post!

I built this house!  Nah, I installed some soffit.

A few weekends ago I had the pleasure of working on a build project at Trinity Park, a Habitat for Humanity project and the Greater Memphis Chapter’s first planned community development.  Despite my admiration for Jimmy Carter, I had never volunteered for Habitat.  It was an exhausting afternoon, and at times really frustrating (this is definitely a good team-building opportunity), but I learned a lot about construction, operating power tools, installing soffit boards, and more importantly, Habitat’s mission.  I guess I always thought homes were built for folks who had no resources to rebuild after losing their own homes to flood or fire or the like.  But it turns out Habitat isn’t a charity organization designed to give away replacement homes; it’s an empowering organization dedicated to helping first-time homebuyers who demonstrate a need for standard housing - but who cannot qualify for a conventional loan because of income - buy their first home.  One of the coolest parts of the program are the 350 “sweat equity” hours applicants must complete – potential homeowners have to put in time working on their own homes, other folks’ homes, or serving at other area non-profits.  Eighty percent of those hours must be completed before construction on their own home can commence.  In addition, applicants must be able to pay a $1,000 down payment, complete a 15-part Dave Ramsey financial course, and commit to other Habitat service and financial programs even after they move in.  At Trinity Park, the mortgage payments are an easy $300 - $450, much lower than what some folks might be paying for a substandard rental.  When you consider all of that together, it’s a tremendous effort to provide the pride of homeownership, help folks get a better hold on their own financial situation, and create a sort of “pay-it-forward” stewardship that helps to sustain a community.  I had no idea it was such a comprehensive program!

Teamwork makes the dream work.

This isn't mamby-pamby stuff.  This is real construction!

Currently, there are five homes under construction in Trinity Park.  Eventually the community will have 38 homes, each built to meet MLGW’s EcoBUILD requirements, and a community resource center.  Every home is sponsored by one or several organizations, and a good deal of the labor comes from those groups’ volunteers.  Delta Airlines, FedEx, and ServiceMaster have all sponsored their own homes and send crews out on an almost daily basis from different departments within their companies to work on the site.  Other homes are sponsored by multiple groups – the Memphis Area Association of Realtors is just one of several sponsors of the house being built for Regina Lawson, the house I got to work on.  While you’re volunteering, it’s likely you’ll be working alongside the home’s owner, and I got to spend a lot of time chatting with Regina about her new place.  She has five children and one granddaughter and she’s really excited to move into her new place, which should be ready by the end of the month.  The floorplans are picked by the Habitat folks based on an owner’s need; however, Regina and the other homeowners will get to pick their paint colors, flooring, countertops, cabinets, and what sort of landscaping they’d like around the house.  I also talked with Erika Finley, the owner of the ServiceMaster-sponsored house, and she’ll be moving into her house at the end of the week.  Both women were really excited about what having a home of their own would mean to them.  Without the stress of substandard living conditions and with a new sense of financial stability, both Regina and Erika were eager to consider new career training or going back to school to finish long-forgotten aspirations.

The good folks at ServiceMaster putting the finishing touches
on Erika's new house.

I’m a bleeding heart that can hardly say no, so it’s all I can do not to whip out my checkbook every time I see a St. Jude commercial or when I hear about what good work the Church Health Center is up to.  But for all the money you can throw at a problem, some organizations want you.  I’m pretty stingy with my time, but volunteering for Habitat for Humanity was a great experience for me – it’s a wonderful way to get out there, roll up your sleeves, and do something.  You can see the results, you can visit with the people who’s lives you’re changing, and you can rest easy in the knowledge that Habitat is in it for the long haul, counseling their new homeowners along the way, encouraging them to make the right financial decisions, and fostering a spirit of service that makes communities better.

To find more information about volunteer opportunities, check out the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis website.  Not so much into swinging a hammer?  That's fine, too.  Habitat is always looking for folks to serve on their commitees, help plan fundraisers, and organize the Youth United Build.  And if you've got some time, drive by Trinity Park to see the good that's going on.  It's a bustling site of volunteers, sub-contractors, "green hats", and other Habitat organizers just south of Winchester on Park Lake Drive.  I'll be there this Saturday afternoon, helping Regina paint her brand new kitchen.