Learning from Homeowners

Throughout the past semester, I have been fortunate enough to work at the Habitat office in Lexington. Besides learning about this amazing organization, my task is simple: to visit homeowners at their homes built by Rockbridge Area Habitat and the amazing volunteers and to hear about their experience with Habitat. What I’ve learned will eventually be compiled into a yearbook-type product that includes both pictures and stories.

            The homeowners that I have been able to meet, Jane Ann Wells, Dorman and Janet Mook, and Jodie Wilhem and her son Ryan, have been so very helpful and enjoyable to speak with. After every visit, I am overcome by the sense of thankfulness and confidence that is evident in these homeowners’ lives. I truly believe that Habitat not only helps people own a home of their own, but the process also yields benefits in other aspects of life. As Jane Ann put it, “Habitat changed more than just an address.”

            After seeing the homes and also working with Joe and Kelly, I understand how well built these houses are. Dorman and Janet Mook’s home in Buena Vista was the first to be build by Rockbridge Habitat, and it still looks spectacular. It is very obvious how devoted everyone at Habitat and the volunteers are to providing homeowners with a safe and nice place to live, not to mention energy efficient!

            I look forward to meeting as many homeowners as I can in the next few weeks and hopefully through the winter. Habitat has shown me a great deal about the acts of kindness that are possible with a little well-worth-it work.

Tales from the Front Office

New News

Rockbridge Area Habitat’s administrative office has moved from the back of the Lexington ReStore to 30 E. Preston Street in downtown Lexington!

A journey of less than a mile has teleported us from the windowless passage that was our work space to a new world of light. The staff of three administrative workers, one volunteer coordinator and a bookkeeper now have the room to move about the office without bumping into each other.

Sadly, the staff’s transformation from Mole People to Children of the Sun was not without loss. We miss the dynamic store volunteers and interesting customers. Most of all we miss the remarkable ReStore manager Jane Ann. A gifted conversationalist, Jane Ann could as easily talk a desperate man down from a ledge as help a ReStore shopper select a dresser.

Somehow we’ll get by without seeing these friends every day. You can help by visiting us at our new location. Come fill out an application, pick up some brochures, or just check out the new office. We’re open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. We’d love to see you.

Developing Development

Representatives from Rockbridge Area Habitat and USDA Rural Development met September 9 at Habitat’s new administrative office to sign a Memorandum of Understanding creating a partnership to provide greater options for mortgage assistance and affordable home repair.

Left to right: Nick Charles, RAHfH Treasurer; Kelly Wallace, RAHfH Assistant Construction Supervisor; Heather Marion, RAHfH Board member; Rob Wilson, USDA Area Specialist; Jim Kvach, RAHfH Board Chair; Lynn Leech, RAHfH Executive Director; RAHfH Board members Thom Gill, Susan Harrison and Linda Wilder; Byron Waters, USDA Director of Multi-Family Housing Program; Valerie Moliterno, RAHfH Board member; Rusty Ford, Chair of Rockbridge Board of Supervisors; Anne Herring, USDA Area Director; Sy Hughes, RAHfH Development Specialist; Ellen Davis, State Director for Rural Development in VA; Joe Reinhardt, RAHfH Construction Supervisor.

Fun, Fast, Factual Facts

Talented W&L student, Lizzie Weston is volunteering with Habitat, collecting interviews and photographs of partner families.

Help build the Habitat home on Lombardy Ave. in Buena Vista! You may meet the new homeowner, Shirley, who is legally blind but still contributes at the work site. To volunteer, email Kelly Wallace at Kelly@rockbridgehabitat.org .

ReStore Score

This blog entry was written by The Mrs. and is reproduced here with her permission (thank you!).

Check out The Mrs.'s blogs for yourself at: http://www.themrs.ca

ReStore Score

I don't like shopping second hand. I really, really don't.

It has nothing to do with image or pride or the ick factor of rummaging through someone else's things. No, what turns me off is the all-or-nothing feeling I get when I survey what looks like an airplane hangar full of mostly uncategorized stuff.

You know, that feeling. The one that tells your one functioning eyeball (or in your case, possibly two) "You have to look at every. single. thing. in here before you'll find anything useful to you."

So imagine my surprise when - as one of the cold, rainy day activities we came up with to do with Mr's parents, in the absence of anything remotely resembling nice weather - we walked into our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and immediately saw these babies:

Five matching chairs. Five oak chairs, in great repair, with leather seats (that we'll re-cover some fine day). Five heavy chairs. Did I mention there were five of them? For $30 each? Down from a price of $45 each?

To understand my bone-deep excitement, let's step back a moment and think about what kind of seating we had chez Mrs before this angels-singing-down-from-the-sky event:

• Two (pine?) chairs, lovingly found, stained and re-covered by my dear mother when Mr and I first got married ten years ago.
• One sort of similar oak chair restored to match the first two, also by my dear mother.
• One cherry chair with arms, found at a neighbour's yard sale and recovered to match the other ones.

Pause. Okay, that seats me, Mr, Miss in her booster and one guest in reasonable comfort. Jr's still in a highchair but isn't too many months away from being another demanding chair hog.

Let's imagine for a moment we persuade more than one guest to dine with us (unlikely, I know). We also have:

• Two black plastic folding chairs
• One chrome and red vinyl folding chair that - while utterly awesome - also poses a very real threat of dismemberment to anyone brave enough to sit on it.
• I have nothing to put in this spot. I just wanted a third bullet point.

That's it. Four real chairs, two flimsy chairs and a death chair. And heaven forbid we have anyone over with kids, because let's face it: they're safer eating off the floor.

So while $150 on furniture was a completely unbudgeted for item this month, we snatched those babies up faster than you can say "personal injury lawsuit".

Because it's not like I'd ever shell out the money for new ones anyway.

Now is the Perfect Time to Apply!

Habitat’s Construction Supervisors, Joe and Kelly, along with our stalwart volunteers, have begun building what will soon be a three-bedroom, one-bath home on Lombardy Ave in Buena Vista. It’s near Kling Elementary and Victory Baptist church and should be ready to move into in December.

The Habitat home next door to the new build site in Buena Vista.

The new home will be similar to this one.

Do you know someone who could benefit from an affordable, safe and decent home like this one?

Point him/her in the direction of the Lexington Habitat ReStore!

At the back of the Restore is the Habitat office. Here a staff member will provide an application and answer any questions. The application process takes about 15 minutes.

Where: 114 Walker Street, in the same shopping center as the DMV.

When: Mon – Fri 10 a.m. to 4p.m. Sat 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

What is Habitat looking for in a successful applicant?

Need of a home. The current living arrangement might be unsafe, overcrowded, or too expensive, or they might simply want to exchange renting for owning a home of their own.

Ability to pay. Habitat homeowners receive a low or no-interest mortgage. Monthly payments are $400 to $450 – less than many people’s rental payments!

Ability to pay includes working at the same job for at least one year and having good or repairable credit. Applicants who have filed bankruptcy within the last year or have an outstanding judgment are not eligible.

Willingness to partner. Habitat homeowners must perform 350 hours of “sweat equity” work before they move into their new home,. This work is usually helping to build their own home and/or the home of another family, but could include working in the office or one of the ReStores.

There are other factors that influence the decision whether or not to approve an applicant.

For more information call the Habitat office at 463-3770.