By MARY CARTWRIGHT and SCOTT MILLS, guest columnists
Thirty years and 20 houses later, Brown County Habitat for Humanity continues to build houses — houses that local residents can afford to buy.
Each Partner Family pays for their home with no-interest mortgage payments and sweat equity. These homes are affordable because of the amazing support of the community, and Habitat needs active individuals willing to donate their time and talent.
You can help!
What we do: The Brown Co. affiliate of Habitat for Humanity built our first house in 1990 and has built 20 homes in the ensuing years. In addition, we do home restoration and additions, and through our “Brush of Kindness” arm, we do small home updates such as building wheelchair ramps.
Our mission is to improve the lives of partner families by supporting homeownership. The homes are not gifts; rather, we offer a helping hand to those who might not otherwise qualify for a home mortgage. We provide affordable homes using volunteer labor and some donated materials to keep costs low. We then sell the home to our partner family, at cost, and with a no-interest mortgage. Partner families must demonstrate a steady income and good credit, and be active in the process by contributing 250 hours of sweat equity.
We are accepting applications for our 2020 home build. The application can be found on our website (https://www.bc-habitat.org/) or by contacting the Habitat office (812-988-4926, [email protected], or 646 Memorial Drive).
What we need: It takes money and land to build a home. Board members are involved in activities that include family selection, fundraising, recruitment of volunteers to build the house, providing food for the construction crew during the build, working with committee volunteers, and of course, building the house.
A strong and committed board is essential for a successful operation. Please contact us to learn more about becoming a board member or a committee volunteer. Experience is not required, but is certainly welcome, particularly if you have construction or office skills.
Licensed professionals perform the technical tasks, such as electrical and HVAC installation. In addition, a licensed contractor leads the entire build. If you have construction skills and would like to get involved with a build in our community, we would love to have you participate.
Finally, we also need land on which to build. We have been lucky over the years in having buildable sites donated or offered at less than market value. Currently, we are searching for 5 to 10 acres of land that could be dedicated to Habitat homes.
Many of the Habitat board members and volunteers are retired individuals who enjoy contributing to the wellbeing of Brown County. Homeownership creates a sense of pride in community that benefits everyone. We would love to hear from you if can help us help others.
Please contact us at the Habitat office: 812-988-4926, [email protected] or 646 Memorial Drive.
Mary Cartwright is president and Scott Mills is vice president of Brown County Habitat for Humanity.
