Habitat house at walk-through stage

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Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of stories that will follow the progress of Habitat for Humanity of Miami and Shelby Counties’ first project in Shelby County.

JACKSON CENTER — Kara Mullen, of Sidney, went through her new house in Jackson Center with a contractor and two “developers,” Tuesday, June 20.

Mullen’s house is under construction by Habitat for Humanity of Miami and Shelby Counties (HHMSC). The Jackson Center build is the organization’s first since merging the counties two years ago.

The walk-through, Tuesday, was an opportunity for Bill Horstman, executive director of HHMSC), Paul Hoying, of Hoying & Hoying Builders and Mark Wahl, senior vice president of operations at Airstream Inc., to look over things with Mullen.

“I’m excited. I can’t wait to get in,” she said.

Contrary to popular belief, Mullen will pay for the dwelling. Horstman said giving away free houses is one of several misconceptions about what Habitat does.

“Nobody knows who we are,” he said, citing the results of a study conducted by Habitat for Humanity International over a two-year period. Led by a Boston-based marketing group, the study involved focus groups across the country.

“They thought we were a charity that gave houses away and that Jimmy Carter was the founder,” Horstman said. None of that is true.

Habitat for Humanity is a faith-based organization with a vision of everyone’s having decent housing worldwide, he said.

“Strength, stability, self-reliance through shelter — We try to curb the poverty cycle so peope can grow into that,” he added.

House recipients must meet qualifications that include being able to purchase their homes from Habitat. They also must be able to particpate in the construction or renovation of the homes they receive. And they must have a need because they are not able to get bank loans.

“We’re looking for someone who will partner with us,” said Dr. Reece Nickol, of Troy, a Habitat board member and chairman of the Family Service Committee, which evaluates applicants. “We ask them to get some education about what to do with a home. We don’t want them to fail. If they fail, we fail.”

Mullen recognizes the value of that kind of help.

“They offer encouragement in many forms and teach people how to be homeowners. They set up a foundation for success as a homeowner, and that means so much to me,” she said.

Not all of the projects Habitat takes on are new constructions. The group also refurbishes homes for new owners and oversees a repair program that could fix a hole in a roof, install weatherization or paint a garage.

Other projects benefit a community more than individual families.

“A church may rework a playground and need expertise. We do that,” Horstman said. Habitat assisted with demolishing rooms in the basement of the Historic Sidney Theatre as part of that renovation project.

It’s all funded by grants and monetary and in-kind donations. The organization also raises money through its ReStore in Troy, a thrift store that sells donated structural items as well as furniture and fixtures. The Jackson Center build has been underwritten by Airstream Inc. Mullen will have a no-interest mortgage, held by Habitat. The average cost of constructing a new house is $90,000. People can apply to Habitat at any time, but, Horstman said, having an approved family is just the beginning.

“Do we have land and is it land where somone wants to live? Do we have money? We don’t do things in a hurry,” he said. The land also has to have existing infrastructure, like access to plumbing and electricity.

Most of the time, lots are donated or willed to Habitat. The organization currently owns six lots in Sidney and two in Piqua.

“We seldom buy land,” Horstman said. If there is an existing house on the donation and it can’t be rehabbed, the organization may refuse the gift.

“It takes $10,000 to demolish a house and make a site safe,” he added.

Another misconception about Habitat is that houses are constructed solely by volunteers.

“We hire electricians, HVAC, plumbers. They have to be licensed and bonded,” Horstman said. But lots of volunteers also are needed to complete the work.

“If volunteers show up, we ask, ‘What do you like to do? What are you good at? What do we need to teach you?’” he said. It’s tough, he admitted, to get volunteers who will commit to helping for the three months it takes to build a house.

“They want to come out one time, do their thing and they’re done,” he said. So it’s especially appreciated when a company schedules its employees to help with construction on company time. That’s something Airstream and Hoying and Hoying Builders Inc., of Anna, have done for the Jackson Center project.

Individual volunteers can help on a construction project, work in the ReStore or join a committee.

“We’re always looking for good volunteers,” Horstman said. Interested people can sign up to help at www.hfhmco.org.

Kara Muller, second from left, talks with, left to right, Airstream Administrative Assistant Tammy Spicer, of Jackson Center, her house Construction Manager Paul Hoying, of McCartyville, Senior Vice President of Airstream Operations Mark Wahl, and Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity, Bill Horstman, of Troy, in the kitchen area of Muller’s soon-to-be new home. Muller walked the group through her family’s Habitat for Humanity-built home in Jackson Center, Tuesday, June 20.
http://www.sidneydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2017/06/web1_SDN0621Habitat.jpgKara Muller, second from left, talks with, left to right, Airstream Administrative Assistant Tammy Spicer, of Jackson Center, her house Construction Manager Paul Hoying, of McCartyville, Senior Vice President of Airstream Operations Mark Wahl, and Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity, Bill Horstman, of Troy, in the kitchen area of Muller’s soon-to-be new home. Muller walked the group through her family’s Habitat for Humanity-built home in Jackson Center, Tuesday, June 20. Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News

By Patricia Ann Speelman

[email protected]

Reach the writer at 937-538-4824.

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