ROANOKE, Va. – It has been one week since WSLS 10 News kicked off the 8th “Home for Good” project in partnership with Habitat for Humanity in the Roanoke Valley, generous community sponsors and volunteers. Once the project wraps up in the fall, The Ali family of Roanoke will get the keys to the home through Habitat’s homebuyer program.
Right now you can see and hear all the construction work happening at the Home for Good site in southeast Roanoke, but what you don’t see is what is happening behind the scenes to prepare and educate families for homeownership.
“Informed homeowners become informed citizens and they make an investment in the community no matter what community that they’re in,” said Betty Jean Wolfe, Senior Director of Community Engagement for Habitat.
As Habitat works to create a world where everyone has a decent, affordable place to live, the non-profit is not handing out free homes.
“Habitat houses are not free. They’re not giveaways,” said Gina Dunnavant, Volunteer Manager with Habitat. “The family actually buys the house from Habitat at a rate that they can afford.”
The journey to buying a home through Habitat’s homeownership program starts with a rigorous selection process and hours of educational training.
“We go over everything a homebuyer would need to qualify for a mortgage because these families, like any family that’s purchasing a home, will take on a mortgage loan,” Wolfe said.
Families also invest their time and energy working to build their own home, which Habitat calls “sweat equity.” That sweat equity happens alongside community partners, including Marvin Windows, a returning Home for Good sponsor.
“We try to get a lot of volunteers,” said Dixie Settle with Marvin Windows. “This year we got 100, so I have a waiting list to come here and hoping we have extra days to help build this house.”
It is work you see and a lot you don’t, coming together to build a home but also build community.
Click here to learn more about the Habitat home buying and application process.