The construction season is well under way for Habitat for Humanity Alpena Area Inc., which this year will raise the roof on its 38th house since the affiliate first organized in 1990.
Christine VanWagner, and her twin boys, Gunner and Guage, will be moving into the newest Habitat home on Wall Avenue once it is completed. In the meantime, VanWagner and other family members will be putting 500 hours of "sweat equity" in on the job to help make her dream of home ownership become a reality.
The numbers tell the story of how the program works. Last year, a total of 48 volunteers put in 3,206 hours building two Habitat homes for local families who otherwise would not be able to afford their own place.
Unlike many previous years, Habitat is building only one house this year. The economy is the biggest contributing factor for that.
"We're doing just one house this year because of the economy," said Habitat Executive Director Roger Pauley. "What we're looking at now with the housing market being what it is, is rehab versus building since there are so many empty houses."
In order for rehabing to work, the current owner of a vacant property would have to give or deed the property to Habitat.
"A lot of homes are below market price, but with a little bit of work and sweat equity, we can bring them up to code, up to our standards," Pauley said.
While the ultimate goal is to keep building or rehabing houses for needy families who don't qualify for bank loans, fundraising is also a key aspect of the Habitat program. Toward that end, the Habitat ReStore provides key funds to keep the housing initiative going from year to year.
At the ReStore, located on Chisholm Street in downtown Alpena, donated used or surplus building supplies, furniture and appliances are sold to the public at significantly reduced cost. The money generated through sales at the store is then put into constructing new Habitat homes.
According to the store's manager, Brenda Holsworth, the benefits are two-fold.
"A main goal of the ReStore is to prevent poverty housing," Holsworth said. "Another is to save landfills, so recycling is also a big goal."
One of Habitat's major fundraisers is coming up next month. The third annual Redneck Barbecue and Auction will take place Aug. 7 at the Knights of Columbus Hall. Tickets to the event, always a sell-out, are $25 and available by calling the Habitat ReStore at 354-5555.
At last year's Redneck Barbecue and Auction, the winner of a handcrafted deer blind donated the item back to Habitat. The organization is currently conducting a deer blind raffle to raise additional funds. The raffle tickets are $1 each or six for $5 and available at the Habitat ReStore.
Another significant aspect of the success of the local Habitat program is the Carpenters Club made up of donors who financially support the program. The club currently contains 98 members.
Also noteworthy is the huge impact volunteers both local and from points elsewhere have on the program. They do everything from wielding a hammer at the construction site to undertaking many behind-the-scenes tasks like providing work site meals and performing clerical tasks.
Each building season, Habitat counts on a group of traveling volunteers that help out at various sites around the country. The next visiting group is expected in Alpena from Aug. 9-30.
"They are called 'Care-a-Vanners' and they travel from other states all over the U.S. They are very experienced with building Habitat houses," Pauley said. "Plus they seem to really like it here in Alpena with the lake nearby."
For more information on how to volunteer/help with the Habitat program or to obtain an application for a future Habitat home, contact the office, located inside the First Presbyterian Church in Alpena, at 356-3509.
