Jennifer Payne never thought she’d own her own home.
“If you would have asked me a couple of years ago if I was going to be a homeowner, I would have told you there is no way possible.”
That was before she qualified for a house through Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Georgia. Now, Payne and her son Caleb are preparing to move into their new home thanks to help from the local nonprofit and their own sweat equity.
“It’s a true blessing,” she said during the home dedication ceremony held Sunday, September 24, in Demorest.
She wasn’t the only one feeling blessed.
Alicia Murphy and her three children, Elijah, Ava, and Kenneth, on Sunday also received keys to their new home in the same Demorest neighborhood.
“I don’t think words can really explain it. I feel really happy, very blessed, excited, all those things,” said Murphy.
The Murphy and Payne family residences are among four Habitat houses built in Demorest in the last two years. Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Georgia Board President Rex Wade says all four homes went to single mothers.
76 houses in 38 years
Sunday’s dedication ceremony not only marked new beginnings but also the continuation of a 38-year ministry.
Formed on January 18, 1985, Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Georgia dedicated its first house on July 12, 1986. Payne’s is the 75th house the nonprofit has built; Murphy’s is the 76th.
That’s 76 houses in 38 years. It’s an impressive achievement, but ask anyone familiar with the mission, and they’ll tell you Habitat is about more than building houses. Its stated mission is to “put God’s love into action by building homes, communities, and hope.”
For nearly four decades, the Habitat board and its volunteers have achieved that mission through community partnerships.
Volunteers and businesses donate labor and supplies to keep Habitat’s costs to a minimum. One such partnership is through Westinghouse, which sells appliances to the nonprofit at a reduced cost. Habitat also relies on monetary donations and proceeds from its ReStore thrift shops and pallet sales of donated merchandise to help cover construction costs.
Sweat equity and dreams
Each qualifying homeowner must invest hundreds of hours of labor into building their house. Once it’s completed, they can then purchase the house from Habitat with an affordable mortgage.
Even with strong community partnerships and charitable giving, nonprofits are not immune to the economy.
“Prices have hit us, too,” says Wade.
A few years ago, Habitat of Northeast Georgia sold its houses for about $100,000 and, in some cases, less. Now, those same houses cost around $175,000. Still, that remains significantly less than the retail real estate market, where similar homes are selling for around $260,000.
With today’s prices, the dream of home ownership is slipping away for many people, and that makes Payne’s dream come true all the more meaningful. She and Caleb plan to move into their new home in the coming days. The Murphys will move into theirs as soon as the loan papers are signed “within the next month or so.”
To learn more about donating and volunteering, visit Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Georgia online.
