“Most people don’t know what Habitat does,” said Ted Fines, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan. “We have a family that’s gotten pre-qualified through USDA and they’re an older couple with a mentally challenged son in his 30s, so they’ve never owned a house. This is their first opportunity. And they’ve been working on the house, volunteering, because they have to put their sweat equity in.”

That house is on South Jefferson Street in Alpena, and the homeowners are Bruce and Linda Collins. They were out on the back porch watering the lawn on Tuesday morning, excited to see workers and volunteers putting in doors inside their new home.

“This is a dream come true,” Linda Collins said. “It means so much to us, because we’ve been renting for a long time. We’re from Massachusetts.”

She said they moved here about five years ago.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Habitat for Humanity volunteer Randy MacAulay, above left, steadies the door frame while Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan Construction Superintendent Brian Shumaker preps the drill.

“When we came out here, we had nothing, we knew nobody,” she explained. “And this came along, and it means so much to us now to own our own home and be able to do what we want to do.”

The Collins have been through a lot, losing their daughter, who died in January.

“She was only 31,” Linda Collins said. “We’re still trying to heal from losing her.”

Their new home, located in a quiet area that backs up to woods, offers a nice respite to relax and take life at a slower pace.

“It’s quiet, it’s peaceful,” she said.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Julie Krajnik and Anthony Barclay pose for a photo at the Habitat ReStore. Krajnik works with Habitat through the AARP program, and Barclay is the ReStore Ambassador.

They are so grateful for this chance at a brighter future through home ownership through Habitat for Humanity.

“We rented our whole life,” Linda Collins added.

“My sister, she was dealing with Habitat for a while, and she hooked us up with them,” Bruce Collins said. “It’s good, because it’s my dream. I’m going to be 59 this year, so I wanted a house.”

His wife is also battling breast cancer. They face each challenge together, and now they can do that in the comfort of their very own home.

“If it wasn’t for Habitat, I wouldn’t know what to do,” Bruce Collins added.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Habitat volunteer Dennis Neumann and Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan Construction Superintendent Brian Shumaker move a new door into place in the Habitat home on South Jefferson Street in Alpena.

“We’d probably move back to Mass,” Linda Collins said, adding that they plan to stay in Alpena for the rest of their lives because of this Habitat for Humanity home.

The house is a four-bedroom, one-bath home on a spacious lot in a secluded area of the city, perfect for the Collins family — three humans and two dogs.

On Tuesday morning, Brian Shumaker, construction superintendent for Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan, and two volunteers were replacing some interior doors in the Collins’ home.

“Then, we’re going to be doing some window treatments, putting some blinds on, and some screens,” Shumaker said in between drilling holes in the door frame. “And eventually, we’re going to put some flooring in.”

He explained a little about the house itself.

“This is a remodeled house,” Shumaker said. “This has been repossessed. And, we come in and we’re cleaning it up, fixing it up, to rehome another family in here. So, that’s our intent. Once we get it all cleaned up and back to a livable condition, we’re going to turn it over to the new family.”

Dennis Neumann and Randy MacAulay were volunteering at the house on Tuesday.

“Well, it keeps you out of mischief,” Neumann joked about why he volunteers. “And helping people, that’s what it’s all about. I volunteer with Thrivent and other organizations. And the Thrivent thing is to ‘Live Generously’ and Thrivent and Habitat work together. But, the big thing is seeing the smiles on people’s faces.”

He helps build ramps for homeowners with Habitat as well.

“Handicap ramps, especially,” he said. “You see people that can’t really get out of their home very well, so the ramps allow them to do that stuff, so it’s a good feeling to be able to do that.”

He added that you do have to fill out paperwork to be a Habitat volunteer, but that there are volunteering opportunities for every skill set, and that the workers are excellent guides to help you learn as you go.

“All kinds of things,” Neumann said. “There’s cleanup work. When we’re installing ramps, if somebody can dig a hole, they can do that. On the construction side, Brian and the construction manager just tells you what to do and gets you going. You don’t need a special skill set.”

MacAulay truly enjoys volunteering with Habitat.

“The goal is to ultimately get somebody into shelter, and it’s a very noble goal, but, more than that, and for very selfish reasons, I learn a lot every time I come here and help, and it’s very rewarding,” MacAulay said.

Shumaker said volunteers are “very important” to Habitat programs because they help “keep the cost of the home down low, so that when we resell it to a new homeowner, their mortgage is low, the cost is low for them, they can start right in, and not go into terrible debt.”

He said the Jefferson Street home should be done by the end of June.

Two other homes are being worked on right now, including one on Washington Avenue and a new one starting on Merchant Street, Shumaker said.

“Our volunteers are amazing,” said Jenny Nestell, volunteer coordinator for Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan. “Especially the ones that we have on our board, like John (Murphy), Randy MacAulay, Denny Neumann. These guys that show up, they’re amazing. We also love working with the Boys and Girls Club.”

She said the Youth Volunteer Corps through the Boys and Girls Club of Alpena has helped them build ramps in the past, and the students are able to log volunteer hours for that.

“It’s fun,” she added. “We want people to get involved.”

Volunteer opportunities are also available at the Habitat ReStore and warehouse.

Julie Krajnik works at the ReStore, compensated through an AARP program.

She enjoys knowing that she’s helping the community.

“Creating bonds with other people,” she said. “Working back here, restoring some of the furniture. It’s a good feeling. You don’t realize a place like this, how it affects the whole community. How much good it does.”

Fines said people of all walks of life are welcome at Habitat.

“We’re keeping everyone busy,” Fines added. “You could get on the truck for a pickup or delivery. There are all sorts of opportunities … And we enjoy doing what we do.”

Critical Home Repairs are always going on as well. If you have home repair needs that you cannot afford, you may want to call Habitat to see if you qualify to make your home safe and livable again. Call 989-354-5555 or visit habitatnemi.org for more information. The Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan Offices and ReStore are located at 2630 U.S.-23 South, Alpena. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on every Tuesday, anyone interested in learning more about home ownership, picking up an application, or discussing their situation or options, is welcome to visit the Habitat offices.

“There’s more to Habitat than what you see, or what you’ve heard,” Fines said.

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