Habitat for Humanity of Putnam, Inc. has begun construction of house number two in 2022, with three more in the planning stages. Economic challenges still persist with the rising cost of construction, but the affiliate has been fortunate to be the recipient of a $400,000 gift from a local donor who has challenged us to match that amount. Murali Thirumal, Executive Director, says the success of that effort will determine how quickly the next three homes will be built.
House number two is being built for Alfredo Flores and Gloria Carrion, who met in California after arriving from Mexico in the late 1980s and are now U.S. Citizens. They have two sons, and five grandchildren, all of whom are sharing the excitement and looking forward to helping with move-in day later in the summer. And, Gloria can’t wait to begin cooking her authentic Mexican dishes in her very own home.
Applicants for Habitat homes must have a need for safe housing, must meet certain financial goals, and be willing to participate with Habitat in financial literacy and basic home maintenance classes. And, finally, they must partner with Habitat by contributing 250 hours of personal time to help in the construction process or at the Habitat ReStore located at 1027 Lake Oconee Parkway. After hearing that they had been selected for homeownership, Alfredo and Gloria were speechless and simply held their hands up to praise God. Now that they have begun volunteering at the ReStore, the couple said, “volunteering to work in the Habitat ReStore has given us the chance to give back to the community and help others.”
The primary mission of Habitat for Humanity worldwide is to provide safe and affordable homeownership for those who might not ever have that opportunity otherwise. The affiliate here in Putnam County has been fulfilling that mission since its inception in 1997. While the Covid pandemic resulted in some “time off” for construction, Thirumal says “we’re proud to have delivered title to four new homes in 2020, and are now looking forward to picking up where we left off. Donations from the public are an important part of the equation that allows us to complete our mission, and, with the current $400,000 match-challenge, we have a wonderful opportunity ahead of us.”
In addition, corporate alliances provide significant benefit, such as with WBAC (Wilson Bryant Air Conditioning) which has committed to providing the next five homes with HVAC units and labor at cost.
And, then there is the donor who said “I like what I see happening with Habitat here in Putnam County”, and offered to contribute the washers and dryers for these homes. Another individual has offered to contribute all the dishwashers. But, as the old model of using volunteer labor to construct homes erodes further every year, the resulting cost to complete a home grows quickly. The Putnam County affiliate has been fortunate to have Clark Harper, owner of Harper Custom Construction, step up to help. “God has blessed me, and I want to give back to my community and share that blessing in a small way” says Harper.
Thirumal says “as the public learns of the impact we are having in Putnam County, we hope other individuals and businesses will come forward to help reduce the cost of construction and allow us to build more homes. Success breeds success!”
Habitat for Humanity of Putnam, Inc. is a 501(C) (3) organization with a ReStore facility located at 1027 Lake Oconee Parkway and a mailing address of: P.O. Box 4056, Eatonton, GA. 31024 - Contributed
- Contributed