Loading...Appalachia Habitat for Humanity is the second oldest Habitat affiliate, founded by a group of concerned Christians in 1972 out of the Morgan-Scot Project. One of the many things the group saw at the time was a tremendous need for housing. The Project raised funds and donated 17 acres to begin the ministry of Appalachia Habitat for Humanity.
Habitat for Humanity “offers families a hand up, not a hand out.” The organization supports partner families with training in budgeting, home and landscape maintenance and how to be a good neighbor. In addition, every partner family devotes hours of “sweat equity” to help build their home and secures a zero interest mortgage provided by Habitat.
Haley Cross Terry, Resource Development Manager / AmeriCorps Director for Appalachia Habitat for Humanity told pilgrims “Right now there is 20 percent unemployment in Scot County. People with bachelor’s degrees are working for AmeriCorps for $250 a week. We get about 50 applications a year, and we can serve about 10,” she said. Families have to have acceptable credit – some applications are not accepted because of bad credit. If they’ve walked away from cars or credit cards, they need to work with a counselor. The families need to have 20 percent of their net income budgeted for housing, which includes maintenance and repairs. If there is a handicapped child, a large portion of the cost of the home is granted.
Terry said she started working with Appalachia Habitat for Humanity 23 years ago through a Roane State Summer Youth Program – “I was placed here and I knew this was what I wanted to do,” she said. “And we are so pleased that the person employed the longest with Habitat for Humanity anywhere in the world is right here. Jan Honeycutt started 35 years ago on a Comprehensive Employment and Training Act(CETA) program and she’s been here ever since.”
Terry took pilgrims on a tour of a build in progress – it’s one of largest they’ve done – for a large family with a handicapped child. The house is open and the doorways wide. It is on family land, so not in a traditional housing development. The house sits on a rise and looks down over a muddy pond that formed after heavy rains, but will have a nice view from its narrow front deck when it’s completed.
Terry explained that Habitat homes are built to standards that exceed “Energy Star.” The standards also address the concern about the number of children with respiratory illnesses in the area. Homes are built with laminate flooring and central heat/air conditioning, eliminating gases from carpet, and potential mold and dampness, while providing an even temperature throughout the house.
“Homes are built to the families’ needs,” Terry said. “They choose the siding color, cabinets and shingles.”
Homes are built or renovated using as much volunteer labor and donated materials as possible. If a person is too poor to secure a bank loan, one is secured for him/her and the homes are repaid over a period of time, with no profit or interest.
Terry said that some people default but is very few. “Most are very appreciative of the help and community they’ve been given and they want to help others. There was a single woman who married a man with a house, so she gave her house back.”
Volunteers stay in Mountain Laurel Lodge, a new volunteer center near Rugby. Summers are booked through 2015, but other times of year are “very open,” Terry said.
The organization’s web site says that with volunteer labor and financial contributions from around the nation, AHH has completed 189 new homes, 11 acquisition rehabs, 300 major renovations and countless emergency repairs. The cost of land, building materials and supervisory labor is paid back to Habitat through a 20 to 30-year, zero-interest loan. The average cost of a home is $80,000 making the homeowner's monthly payments between $250-$300 including taxes and insurance.
