Real Estate Blog - Rogue Valley Habitat for Humanity Dedicates 2 Homes January 12, 2008

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Rogue Valley Habitat for Humanity Dedicates 2 Homes January 12, 2008

In this day and age when affordable housing is such a challenge to come by, it is wonderful that Rogue Valley Habitat for Humanity will dedicate two homes in Medford, Oregon on Saturday at 2PM.

What a rewarding day this will be! Not only for the 14 lives about to change with the fulfillment of the American Dream of Homeownership for these two families. There are hundreds of others who were involved in this process, from the hammer swinging or brush wielding volunteers, to the skilled laborers who donated their gifts of framing/ concrete/ asphault/ tree removal/ roofing/ HVAC and more, to the materials donors feeling the call to give to those in need, to the volunteer support in the office and on the Board of Directors, to the dedicated efforts of the employees. And let's not forget the organizations that sent their teams in to help build these two homes as well as their financial support to cover costs not covered by material and labor donations. All were by the side of the Partner families who each put in at least 500 hours of sweat equity on their own homes and for Habitat, and will experience the satisfaction that will come with the completion of a job well done.

One of the two homes was the recipient of a Thrivent Builds grant. This award brings with it not only the financial support contributed by Thrivent Financial and its local Lutheran contributors, but they bring the gift of their labor, too. Hundreds of Thrivent Lutheran members participated in the building of the home that will house a family of 10 members - father, mother, and their eight children. Due to the nature of the zoning for these two homes, it was necessary to build and complete them concurrently. The support of the Rogue Valley - citizens and businesses alike - in stepping up is what makes this program successful.

Rogue Valley Habitat for Humanity is only a couple of weeks away form dedicating two more homes that are about to be completed in Ashland. These two homes were accomplished with the support of the City of Ashland and the Ashland Community Land Trust, both of whom are dedicated to finding solutions to the affordable housing crisis. As with the two homes in Medford, it took the dedicated support and effort of hundreds of community members to bring this project to fruition. Like the families moving in to the two homes in Medford, the 11 lives that will change when they move in to these two new homes across from Garfield Park have been truly blessed.

The Mission of Habitat for Humanity is unlike any other. With the loving support of so many supporters given as a hand up to Partner families being lifted from poverty, comes the elimination of substandard housing. Last weekend, Table Rock Fellowship's teaching pastor, Tom Sabens, announced in services that it is the goal of this church to support local missions. He mentioned a brief conversation he had with a member of Rogue Valley Habitat for Humanity, and in less than a week, members of the congregation at Table Rock Fellowship have pledged the next local Habitat home HVAC, concrete, painting and more - truly God's work. This moves one of the next four homes to be built in the Rogue Valley well on its way.

Thank you fellow Rogue Valley citizens for being a part of changing the lives of our fellow citizens in need. If the lives of the 17 children moving in to these four homes works out as many of the children in the preceding 27 local Habitat homes, the Rogue Valley may look forward to having some more outstanding citizens.

If you would like to be a part of this amazing experience when the two homes in Medford are dedicated Saturday, go to the 800 block of West 11^thStreet in Medford at 2pm and preview these homes while being a part of this incredible day.

See you out there!

Karen Cooper - OR/CA Mortgage Consultant - http://www.quality4loans.com/

Karen Cooper - OR|CA Mortgage Consultant - www.Quality4Loans.com
Providing high Quality, Professional, Ethical service to Oregon and California home buyers and owners since 1983. Whether you are taking out your first home loan or your fiftieth, for your home, your second home or for investment, put my knowledge and expertise to work for you.

Posted by Karen Cooper-Mtg Banker|Broker Ashland|Medford on 01/11/2008 10:48 PM

Comments (10)

rogue valley, habitat for humanity, affordable housing, rogue valley volunteer opportunities, medford, ashland, oregon, table rock fellowship

This post has been included in Oregon Information Jackson County, OR Information
Post is included in group: Christianity and Real Estate

10 Comments on Rogue Valley Habitat for Humanity Dedicates 2 Homes January 12, 2008

JAN

2008

May the Lord bless you for doing this good work for a family in need, sis......

It is now featured in,"Christianity and Real Estate"!!

KEWL!!

\O/

I think Habitat for Humanity is a great organization, God Bless you for being involved

Hi Karen -- nice story! Habitat for Humanity just came up for us in our efforts to support and grow the local Teen Challenge Adolescent Center. This past Thursday, my hubby was the guest speaker at the local chapter of the Christian Businessmen's Assn., and he happened to speak about Teen Challenge as part of his remarks. A former board member of our No. Nevada Habitat for Humanity came up to him afterward and connected Dr. John with the local folks to possibly assist in some remodeling supplies, etc. for the local Teen Challenge center.

Aren't we all blessed by the work of Habitat for Humanity? Since its founding in 1976 by Millard Fuller along with his wife, Linda, Habitat has built more than 225,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1 million people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter.

Karen, Are you open to dissent? I am not a fan of Habitat for Humanity. And it's not just because of Jimmy Carter either. I believe that the amount of money and effort expended could help a lot more people if they followed the teaching that it is better to teach a man to fish rather than give him a fish.

Poverty is a very complicated issue. In some ways it is "learned" rather than inevitable. Teaching people how NOT to be poor is far more valuable than giving them a handout. A hundred families could be helped out of poverty with the same resources as one house from Habitat.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy for these two families and the next two as well. I would like to see more accomplished to rid our cities of crime and poverty.

Bill Roberts

Alexander - Thank you! For your kind words AND the feature. Love your graphic!

Hugh - The benefits of Habitat for Humanity are multi-fold, with an amazing trickle down affect. I, too, think it is a great organization. I stepped down from direct involvement in our local affiliate in November, though, after being heavily involved for three years. My work in the local affiliate was one of the most rewarding things I've experienced thus far, but extraordinarily draining, too. Needed to take a break and focus on other things for a while. The affordable housing issue is one that has always been very close to my heart, so one day, I'll likely dive back in to direct involvement with Habitat. For now, I'm getting involved in a wonderful project associated with long-term care facilities, and am very excited to see where this leads.

Terry- Thank you for sharing your story. The various Habitat for Humanity affiliates choose various programs they wish to have- from the Women's Build, to the Blitz Builds, etc. Depending on the area, its needs, and the community involvement dictates which programs come to fruition, and creativity within the individual affiliates is encouraged by Habitat for Humanity International as long as the end result moves toward the mission of working with God's people in need to eliminate substandard housing. Offshoots such as the Teen Challenge program you describe are a result. Our local affiliate of HfH and Rogue Valley Community Development Corporation both work with Job Corps utilizing groups of at-risk youth in their construction projects, helping to not only build the homes each organization is working on, but giving hands-on construction training to the youths involved. HfH in our neighboring Josephine County have a program where they arrange work groups who go in to help revitalize whole communities, coming in and doing the deferred maintenance for qualifying homeowners unable to afford to make the repairs themselves. All HfH Affiliates contribute in to the pool to help build Habitat homes worldwide. I could go on forever, but the bottom line is I agree with your statement that the Habitat program results in blessings for us all.

Bill - Of course, I am open to dissent! Especially yours! Many people feel the way you do when it comes to their charitable giving. Thay want to see bigger numbers than can be reflected on paper in a program such as Habitat for Humanity's. The necessary reporting requirements for 501(c)3's make program costs extraordinarily high for Habitat's program vs. an organization such as Mercy Corp whose program expenses reflect a tiny percentage in their pie chart. The philosophy of HfH is exactly what you describe, though - teaching the man to fish. The program is NOT a hand out. Each family works at least 500 hours to meet their sweat equity requirements in the local affiliate. They make a small contribution to set up their escrow account to pay their taxes and insurance - $500 for each partner family with our local affiliate. Then, they have a mortgage just like most homeowners, albeit at zero interest. In order to make the payments affordable for these families earning between 30-60% of the HUD median income for our county, there will be two mortgages. The first is the one they make their monthly payments on, and will have the principal amount that bears the bulk of the expense associated with the home's construction. The second is silent, has no interest or payments, and is gradually forgiven. This may be where the "handout" perception comes from, but if the homeowner sells the home during the first 9 years, they will have to pay all or part of this principal balance, too. These are general guidleines for our local Affiliate, and may very slightly between one affiliate and the next, being adjusted to meet the needs and requirements of individual communities. The local Affiliate maintains first right of refusal to buy back the home in event the homeowner sells.

You are right about the many complicated layers of poverty. Many of HfH's partner families are stepping out of generational poverty. So questions for you, Bill. How do we calculate the "income" that results from the individual family members' contributions to their communities and plug it in to the pie chart? The level of success attained by the children in these families whose lives stabilized when they stopped having to move from one substandard home to the next, giving them a chance to focus on their school work instead of how to stay warm or where they would lay their head next? The drawing out of community members who want to see improvements in their neighborhoods and the lives of their fellow citizens? The affect of the construction industry donating their "waste materials" to these construction projects keeping them out of the dumps? "Waste materials" such as new windows and doors that were the wrong size for a job, paint that was the wrong shade, ceramic tile that isn't selling, lumber overages, etc. The free job training made available? As with many statistical comparisons, it is tough to put your finger on the true results, especially with donations being included as expenses.

I'm sure you are right, though, that HfH's prgram costs are higher than some other charitable organizations. I, personally believe it is worth it.

Karen, This was a very nice response. Thank you. Maybe I need to take a closer look at Habitat. Thank you for your explanation.

Bill Roberts

BTW This response might make a very good basis for a separate post.

JAN

2008

Bill - Thanks for your understanding of my very LENGTHY response :->. Affordable housing is an issue I hold very close to my heart, and to me, Habitat for Humanity is a blaring symbol of a solution to this dilemma.

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