News
Family Of 4 To Receive Habitat Home
By: Susan Tebben | The Athens Messenger
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This Friday, a family will see the product of more than 600 hours of their own labor, and the labor of numerous volunteers within Athens County, when they walk into their brand new home.
The Bolin family, natives of Athens, will receive the keys to the home that was built by Habitat for Humanity and sponsored by Faith Build Coalition and Habitat ReStore. Proceeds from the ReStore, a Habitat store in Athens that sells donated building materials, were used to purchase materials for the home, according to a news release by Habitat for Humanity of Southeast Ohio.
The Bolin family was selected to receive the new home after meeting eligibility requirements.
“Families are selected based on their need, the willingness to partner, and the agreement to a no-interest mortgage through Habitat,” said Kenneth Oehlers, executive director of the Southeast Ohio chapter.
In partnering with Habitat, the family has to accrue “sweat equity” in their home, meaning they have to help build the home.
“This family built up almost 600 hours of sweat equity in their home,” Oehlers said.
Ground was broken on the house in late September, and the harsh winter brought challenges to the construction, according to Oehlers. But with the help of Habitat volunteers, along with crews from Tri-County Adult Career Center and Hocking College, the home was finished in May.
The house, which is on Salem Road, sits on 7 acres. The purchase of the land was another partnership between Habitat and family members of the Bolins.
A dedication ceremony will be held at the home at 6 p.m. Friday.
Habitat volunteers aren’t stopping now that the home is done, though. The agency plans to break ground on a new home in Athens County in the fall. Another project is also planned in Logan, Oehlers said. A break in the action isn’t planned any time soon.
“There are too many families that need safe, affordable places to live,” Oehlers said. “There are too many families that need our help.”