The Thaxton family breaks ground on their new home in Helmsburg on Feb. 26.
Corbin Parmer | The Democrat
Brown County Habitat for Humanity (BCHFH) continues to accomplish its goals to improve the quality of life and place in the community it serves.
On Feb. 26, BCHFH ceremonially broke ground on the first of the three homes they plan to build this year. A small crowd gathered on the sunny day in Helmsburg to watch the partner family, the Thaxtons, don their hard hats and dig on their future property.
Due to the recent weather conditions, work for the home went under way before the ceremony, but the event gave BCHFH members, the partner family for the home and the community a chance to celebrate the work that has been done and what the future has in store.
“A ceremonial ground breaking allows us to not only look towards the future and all that is possible, but to also look back at all the hard work it has taken to get to where we are,” BCFHF Executive Director Erin Kirchhofer said about the event.
She described the groundbreaking as a great chance to thank everyone that has worked so hard to make HFH possible in Brown County and spend time together to celebrate the family that will move into the completed home.
BCHFH Board President Andrea Replogle said the ground breaking ceremony went “extremely” well. Coupled with the fine weather, the buzzing of the crowd following the main event signaled to her promise for the future — of the organization and the partner family.
“I was very excited about how the new board members, the local people and the old board members are all here, it’s just fantastic,” she said.
“Our goal is to help the Thaxtons develop that network of people around them that help them be successful homeowners, and this is a great start to that.”
Replogle said the groundbreaking event was a way to regenerate enthusiasm, particularly since COVID-19 brought new struggles for BCHFH, such as inflated pries for materials and long delays for ordered appliances.
These challenges have slowed progress for BCHFH and affiliates in other areas have even had to close because of them.
“The Thaxtons have been so wonderful and patient, we’re so thankful for them,” Replogle said about the difficulties following COVID-19.
Looking forward, Kirchhofer said it is important for her that the community know that BCHFH wants them to be involved with the work they do.
“We want everyone in Brown County to reach out, ask questions, and to swing some hammers,” she said.
“We welcome all to the job site and want every member of the community to feel welcomed as we pursue the mission to ‘put God’s love into action’ and to bring ‘people together to build homes, communities and hope.’”
Stability & consistency
The nonprofit recently created and filled a permanent position in the organization, designed to help them achieve their goal of building three homes for area families this year.
The position, which was for a construction manager, was filled by Brown County native Ernie Stringer.
Before joining BCHFH, Stringer worked for Austin Construction. He said last week that he has been in the construction field for almost 20 years.
“I have experience in framing houses, renovations, roofing, remodeling and working with (subcontractors) to get the job done,” Stringer said.
“The only difference from my previous job is that I work directly with the subcontractors and on budget, to make sure that we get things done in a timely manner.”
Stringer was born and raised in Brown County. He is a graduate of Brown County High School and currently lives with his wife and their three sons in the home that he grew up in.
The Stringer’s oldest son also graduated from Brown County High School, and their youngest two still attend there, as a junior and a freshman.
“I took the building manager job to give back to the community,” Stringer said.
“To help families achieve home ownership. To help families build their own home. I am excited to work with the families to make the house a home and to help them design their home.”
Stringer officially started at the beginning of February, and according Kirchhofer, he is already doing a great job.
“Ernie brings a wealth of knowledge of the building trades to the role, has great ties to the community and local contractors and is overall a very talented individual,” Kirchhofer said last week.
“He was handed a big job and he has knocked it out of the park so far.”
In the first month on the job, Stinger was able to get work underway for the Thaxton home, while still working on a site in Bloomington and completing HFH training.
The construction manager position is not new within the Habitat world, according to Kirchhofer, but it is new to the Brown County affiliate. Before hiring Stringer, BCHFH worked with construction personnel (in addition to volunteers) on contract for each build.
Kirchhofer said the new position was modeled similarly to those at other affiliates. The construction manager position was ultimately created to offer stability for BCFHF moving forward.
“It was important for me to be able to offer a position that was not only attractive to an applicant, but also provided the affiliate with stability and consistency,” she said.
“I also wanted to create an affinity for the mission and the community we serve. I felt that a permanent position allowed the person hired to do that and I am very thankful to our Board of Directors for supporting that idea.”
Stability was needed for BCHFH to tackle their goal of building three homes this year, in pursuit of the organization’s vision.
“Our vision is ‘a place where everyone has a decent place to live’ and we plan to accomplish that by building attractive starter homes for those in need,” Kirchhofer said.
According to Kirchhofer, one in seven families in the U.S. pay over half of their income on housing costs (in Indiana specifically, the number is one in nine families), which leaves little for things like savings and emergencies.
“There is data that shows that people who are affordably housed earn more over their lifetimes, have better health, and their children do better in school,” she said.
“Habitat Homes provide a vehicle to break cycles of inter-generational poverty and the people who purchase a habitat home become active members of the community.”
Kirchhofer added that providing safe, decent, affordable housing to families allows them to build wealth and to have cash to set aside for emergencies like caring for a sick family member.
“In the wake of COVID, providing avenues to financial security, reduced stress and increased health for all is paramount and we are blessed to be one of the ways that this is happening in communities.”
Both Kirchhofer and Stringer said the homes that BCHFH builds are dependent on the families or individuals selected to live in them, and they are designed to be unique to each family and their specific needs.
“The homes that we will build will give the selected families a starter home at an affordable cost. It will get families into their own home instead of possibly renting a home or an apartment,” Stringer said.
Help with Habitat
BCHFH is also looking for property for the third home of 2023, and monetary donations are always accepted. More information on how to become involved can be found by reaching out to the office via phone at (812) 988-4926 or email at [email protected].
