Habitat for Humanity: helping with housing; a hand up, not a handout

The excitement in Shuquale Royal’s voice is unmistakable as she ticks off a list of all the decorating decisions she’s recently made for her new home: paint colors, siding, flooring, cabinets, countertops, and whether to opt for a shower or tub in the bathroom. Her son, Jayden, 8, also had input. Their home is currently under construction on Lee’s Country Club Road in Mount Olive. It’s a two-bedroom, approximately 1500-square-foot house, that will (fingers crossed) be ready to move in this fall.

Royal has always been a renter, so home ownership is new to her, and it would not have been possible without help from the Goldsboro-Wayne chapter of Habitat for Humanity, an international, Christian-based nonprofit committed to helping people have safe, affordable housing. The Goldsboro-Wayne chapter was founded in 2001, to help county residents recover from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Floyd. Royal’s is the 11th home built by Habitat in the Mount Olive area since the chapter’s inception. “We’re excited to be building in Mount Olive again,” says Matthew Whittle, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Goldsboro-Wayne, which now serves Lenoir County, as well.

County-wide, the organization has closed on 94 — soon to be 95 — homes. “Number 100 will be built later this year, possibly closing it as early as late December, but probably sometime in January,” according to Whittle, adding that, at this point, they average closing on four to six homes a year.

One of the program’s requirements is that homeowners put in 300 hours of volunteer time, which includes providing “sweat equity” that comes from working on their own home, as well as the homes of others who are in the program. So Royal, who is assistant director at New Life Childcare in Goldsboro, has worked on several other homes in addition to hers. The first one she ever worked on was in Pikeville, where she helped with painting and putting on siding.

Trusses are scheduled to go on her house on June 29, with the roof going on soon thereafter. Although she’s not making any promises, “I might get on the roof, I don’t know,” she says with a laugh.

Jayden is as excited about the new house as his mom is, so they go by the site often, even on days when no work is being done. “I take pictures of every little step,” Royal says.

Beyond the “sweat equity” component, participants must also attend classes in which they learn about homeowner’s insurance, and the importance of having a will and a plan for their estate, so that their investment is protected. They also get instruction related to financial literacy, as well as learning practical skills for maintaining their home. The goal, according to Whittle, is to make sure the homeowners are “prepared and set up for success as much as possible.”

Another way in which the organization helps ensure success occurs during the application process. “We look at their debt-to-income ratio,” explains Whittle. “Basically, what that means is, can they afford to buy the house? What other debt do they have? Do they have a car payment? Do they have other long-term personal debt? The last thing we want to do is put somebody in a position where they’re going to further struggle.”

And, yes, you read that correctly. Habitat participants do buy their homes. One of the most common misconceptions about Habitat for Humanity “is that we build homes and that somehow we give them away for free. But that’s not true,” says Whittle. “We work with homeowners and our homeowners buy the homes… at an affordable mortgage.”

Besides looking at the debt-to-income ratio, other factors considered during the application process include income and housing need. “A family has to have a housing need in order to qualify for Habitat,” says Whittle.

Habitat’s work isn’t limited to just building homes. The organization also has a program called A Brush With Kindness, which is currently undergoing a shift in its mission. Previously, it focused on helping homeowners with minor home repairs, but going forward, Whittle says, “We’re going to be focusing primarily on roof repairs and helping to do major repairs or replacements for those roofs. It’s a big need in Wayne County so we’ll be working more to address that.” This program receives funding from local grants and the United Way, but does still require some payment on the part of homeowners. “At Habitat, we’re not a handout, we’re a hand-up,” Whittle notes.

He goes on to explain the importance of the nonprofit being Christian-based, saying, “The faith-based portion of who we are really informs why we do what we do. The mission is to show God’s love by doing these things, by working with our neighbors, whoever those neighbors might be…We strongly do not discriminate based on religion, race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, whatever those things might be.”

Habitat relies strongly on help from volunteers, and Whittle’s pitch for helping out is convincing: “If folks want to be involved with Habitat, it’s a wonderful experience. There’s nothing quite like coming out to a Habitat jobsite, helping to build, and then several months or a year later, you drive by that house and you see evidence of the family living there, whether you see a bicycle in the yard or a basketball or whatever in the driveway. But knowing that you played a role in helping that be possible for a family, it’s a wonderful experience, and I can say that both from the staff perspective and also as somebody who volunteered on homes before I started working here.” Naturally, monetary donations are welcome, as well.

For more information:

Wednesday, June 28 at 3 p.m., a representative from Habitat for Humanity Goldsboro-Wayne will be speaking at Steele Memorial Library to share information and answer questions about the organization. The program is free and open to the public.

Additionally, anyone interested in volunteering with Habitat or finding out how to apply for participation in the program can call 919-736-9592, email executive@habitatgoldsboro.org, or go to www.habitatgoldsboro.org.