Habitat for Humanity hosting 31st home dedication
The newest Habitat for Humanity home, located at 132 W. Greencastle Drive in Granite Shoals, will have their home dedication on Dec. 21. Photo by Maci Cottingham.
Highland Lakes Habitat for Humanity will celebrate the completion of its 31st home with a dedication ceremony at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, at 132 W. Greencastle Drive in Granite Shoals. The public is invited to attend the event, honoring a family of seven who will soon move into the newly-built home. Donations of household supplies are welcomed, and light refreshments will be served.
The home received its permit in July, construction began in August, and the project was completed in December through volunteer labor and community support. It is the 31st home built since the organization began locally in 1995 and the ninth completed in the Highland Lakes area over the past three years.
Habitat for Humanity Board President David Waldo said the quality of work on the home reflects the commitment of everyone involved.
“There isn’t a thing in this house that isn’t done,” he told DailyTrib. “Everyone put in so much time and effort.”
As part of Habitat for Humanity’s program, partner families are required to contribute 150 hours of volunteer labor on another home and an additional 150 hours on their own residence. Waldo noted the family selected for this home went above and beyond those requirements.
“It means a lot for the workers to see how much the family cares,” Waldo said. “It’s great to see them put in the physical work.”
He said community support is critical to Habitat’s mission, with several sponsors donating supplies and time.
Looking ahead, Habitat for Humanity plans to build the next home on the same street in Granite Shoals, with another project planned in Kingsland to follow.
Habitat’s Qualifications for Housing
To qualify for Habitat for Humanity homeownership, applicants must demonstrate housing needs, such as unsafe or overcrowded living conditions or paying more than 30 percent of gross income toward housing. Total household income may not exceed 60 percent of the area’s median income. Applicants must also show stable monthly income, meet debt-ratio requirements, have lived in the chapter’s service area for at least one year, contribute required “sweat equity” hours, and commit to paying an affordable mortgage.