Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 13, 1994 TAG: 9405130102
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CODY LOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Habitat has been finding sponsors - who put up $8,000 for each home - for several months, but made an official announcement of the June 18 "building blitz" Thursday.
David Camper, Habitat's president, said 11 sponsors have been found - though in some cases two groups are combining efforts to build a single house. Habitat will sponsor the construction of any houses that don't have independent sponsors by the blitz date, he said.
The practice of starting a small subdivision of Habitat houses on one day has been used in other cities, but this will be a first for the Roanoke Valley.
Habitat sees several advantages in this approach. Having 250 to 300 people working on a five-acre site on one day lends excitement to the projects; it is economically efficient to provide materials and utilities to a subdivision; and the new homeowners have an opportunity to build a community sharing many common values, goals and backgrounds.
The Kellogg Avenue project extends that street, creating a new 800 block ending in a cul-de-sac. It will include Habitat's first four-bedroom homes - two on the slightly larger lots at the end of the street. The rest of the houses will follow Habitat's conventional three-bedroom, one-story style.
Fourteen families have been selected for the homes, Camper said. They are working to accumulate down payments and are preparing to put in their "sweat equity," hours of contributed labor on their homes.
Though Habitat has been around for a while - and has benefited from the publicity surrounding former President Jimmy Carter's involvement - many people don't understand how the program works, Camper said. "Some people think these are free houses - a gift to welfare recipients," Camper said.
What really happens is that families who might be able to afford modest monthly home payments are interviewed by Habitat staffers and evaluated on their need for housing and their ability to pay.
Because so much of the labor and materials are donated, houses valued at $40,000 to $50,000 can be sold to the families for about $33,000, Camper said. Home buyers don't pay any interest, either, so payments are less than $200 a month for a 20-year term.
As that money comes in, Habitat funnels it back into the community, buying more lots and building more houses.
Most sponsors so far have been religious congregations - Habitat was founded on and continues to operate from a specifically Christian base, although its board of directors includes a representative from a Jewish congregation.
Sponsors for "blitz" homes include some groups that previously have built Habitat homes, including a regional coalition of Lutherans, a group of Presbyterians and United Methodists.
This will be the first time Baptist congregations in the valley have been involved, as Calvary Baptist and Virginia Heights Baptist join forces to sponsor a home.
Private companies also have become sponsors, including Kroger, NationsBank, Shenandoah Life Insurance, and the Woods, Rogers & Hazlegrove law firm.
Another 40 companies are donating services or supplies to the project, ranging from brick to water lines to landscaping.
Camper said he hopes the homes will be completed by September - though each sponsoring group will work at its own pace - so children moving to the neighborhood won't have to change schools after they've begun next fall.
Churches, businesses or other groups interested in sponsoring a house should contact the Habitat office at 344-0747.
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