Hollister
– After two years of fundraising, the San Benito County chapter
of Habitat for Humanity is ready to start spending some money.
Hollister – After two years of fundraising, the San Benito County chapter of Habitat for Humanity is ready to start spending some money.
Although building houses probably won’t be feasible until after Hollister’s sewer moratorium is lifted, Brian Abbott, a member of the local Habitat chapter’s board of directors, said the group is currently looking to help low-income homeowners improve their houses.
Abbott said Habitat has received eight applications for its home rehabilitation loans, but he’s hoping to receive more before the May 7 deadline. Ideally, Abbott said the directors would be able to consider between 12 and 15 applications.
Habitat has about $20,000 to spend per home on health and safety projects like repairing leaky roofs or rotting floors, Abbott said. That money will go further than normal construction funds, he said, because of donated time and materials.
“All the labor is donated,” Abbott said.
He added that rehabilitation money will take the form of a no-interest loan that homeowners pay off in a small monthly installments.
Habitat for Humanity is an international nonprofit organization that builds homes for low-income families. Those families put “sweat equity” into their houses by helping in the construction process.
According to George Lewis, president of the local Habitat chapter, the group has raised about $100,000 since it was formed in 2005.
“We’ve had two very successful years of fundraising,” he said.
Now that Habitat has shown that it can raise money, Lewis said, it’s time for the group to put those funds to good use. He said that in addition to being worthwhile on their own, the rehabilitation projects will give Habitat a chance to build its volunteer base and to work out the kinks in its construction operation.
But that doesn’t mean Lewis and the other directors aren’t eager to start building homes.
“When we were formed, everyone on the board said, ‘We really want to build a house,'” he said.
However, with a typical plot of land going for between $250,000 and $300,000, Abbott said Habitat can’t build and sell homes at an affordable rate.
“The biggest hurdle we have to get over is the purchase of land,” he said.
Abbott said things should improve when Hollister’s sewer moratorium is lifted and development resumes. Habitat’s directors are hoping that developers will donate land for affordable homes, he said.
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
