ROANOKE, Va. – There were a lot of familiar faces at the WSLS “Home for Good” site in southeast Roanoke on Wednesday as our 10 News team worked to build the front porch of this year’s home and also did work in the back yard.
The project in partnership with Habitat for Humanity in the Roanoke Valley is now in its eighth year, but it wouldn’t be possible without a lot of volunteers.
“The way Habitat builds those houses affordably is by using volunteer labor whenever possible,” said Gina Dunnavant, Habitat Volunteer Manager.
All that volunteer labor lowers the cost of building each home, and that translates into affordable mortgage payments for Habitat homebuyers.
“Before COVID we were averaging 3,000-3,500 volunteer hours per house, so that’s a lot of hours if you had to hire contractors for that,” said Brian Clark, Habitat Construction Director. “So for us, the volunteers are crucial in keeping our housing costs low.”
It is not only Habitat that benefits from partnering with volunteers. The WSLS team will tell you, volunteers benefit just as much.
“As a station it’s important that we show that we’re not only in the community but we’re a part of the community and seeing something come together for a good cause is always a blessing to any family out there,” said Japhanie Gray, WSLS Morning Anchor.
The “Home for Good” sponsors also play an essential role in the success of the project.
Construction is expected to wrap up in the fall.