New home for the Hernandez family: Habitat for Humanity breaks ground on latest project
Present for the groundbreaking were Arianna Raya, Llyssa Hernandez and Julie Hernandez, new homeowners; Wyatt O’Neal with the State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation; Charles Pittman, chairman of the Wilson Habitat board of directors; Aaron Phillips, construction supervisor with Hill Construction; and Ken Jones, Wilson Habitat board member and construction committee chairman.
SARATOGA — Peace and quiet.
That’s what future homeowner Julie Hernandez looks forward to when she and her family move into Wilson’s newest Habitat for Humanity house.
“We were offered several lots for the house,” Hernandez said, “and when we found one out in the country, we said yes. I like the woods.”
The woods had actually been cleared by the time Sunday’s groundbreaking took place for the Wilson Area Habitat for Humanity’s newest home build, but plenty of trees were left on two sides of the lot located on a corner in Saratoga.
The lot was donated by local businessmen Wayne Johnson and Keith Daniel.
“I was contacted by Mr. Johnson who asked if Habitat would be interested in the lot as a donation,” said Hal Tarleton, Wilson Area Habitat’s executive director. “Of course we said yes.”
Hernandez and her two daughters, 18-year-old Arianna Raya and 15-year-old Llyssa Hernandez, were chosen from several applicants by Habitat’s selection committee in December. The application process began in October.
Hernandez was involved in a Wilson Community Improvement Association program where she heard about Habitat and its application process. In December, members of the Habitat selection committee came to the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, where Hernandez works as an office assistant, to tell her that she and her family had been chosen as the next Habitat house recipient.
Hernandez said her children are most excited about having their own bedrooms.
“This is an opportunity we thought we’d never have,” Hernandez said. “It’s still hard to register that we will have a brand-new home. We have been living in apartments since the girls were little.”
Volunteer hours by the homeowners are required as part of the Habitat contract. Two hundred hours must be completed by a combination of actual work on the construction of the house, attending lectures and volunteering at Habitat’s ReStore, a thrift store that donates profits to supporting Wilson Area Habitat’s mission of building houses for families in need.
The Hernandez house is the latest of 100 homes built or currently being built by N.C. Habitat for Humanity affiliates for the “Mountains-to-the-Sea Challenge,” which establishes a home in each of North Carolina’s 100 counties. Funding for the houses comes from the State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation, which is giving $10 million for these 100 homes. Once homes are completed, the new homeowners begin making mortgage payments, and SECU returns those funds to local Habitat affiliates so that more homes can be built.
The Saratoga home will be 1,100 square feet and based on a house plan that Hernandez chose. If all goes well, her family will move into it this December. In addition to picking out paint and carpet colors, the family has also made an addition to turn this house into a home.
“Our family has already adopted a puppy,” a smiling Hernandez said.
If you are interested in volunteering time to build the Hernandez home or need more information about the Wilson Area Habitat for Humanity, call 252-291-0816.
Story from: http://www.wilsontimes.com/stories/new-home-for-the-hernandez-family,85975?
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New home for the Hernandez family: Habitat for Humanity breaks ground on latest project
SARATOGA — Peace and quiet.
That’s what future homeowner Julie Hernandez looks forward to when she and her family move into Wilson’s newest Habitat for Humanity house.
“We were offered several lots for the house,” Hernandez said, “and when we found one out in the country, we said yes. I like the woods.”
The woods had actually been cleared by the time Sunday’s groundbreaking took place for the Wilson Area Habitat for Humanity’s newest home build, but plenty of trees were left on two sides of the lot located on a corner in Saratoga.
The lot was donated by local businessmen Wayne Johnson and Keith Daniel.
“I was contacted by Mr. Johnson who asked if Habitat would be interested in the lot as a donation,” said Hal Tarleton, Wilson Area Habitat’s executive director. “Of course we said yes.”
Hernandez and her two daughters, 18-year-old Arianna Raya and 15-year-old Llyssa Hernandez, were chosen from several applicants by Habitat’s selection committee in December. The application process began in October.
Hernandez was involved in a Wilson Community Improvement Association program where she heard about Habitat and its application process. In December, members of the Habitat selection committee came to the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, where Hernandez works as an office assistant, to tell her that she and her family had been chosen as the next Habitat house recipient.
Hernandez said her children are most excited about having their own bedrooms.
“This is an opportunity we thought we’d never have,” Hernandez said. “It’s still hard to register that we will have a brand-new home. We have been living in apartments since the girls were little.”
Volunteer hours by the homeowners are required as part of the Habitat contract. Two hundred hours must be completed by a combination of actual work on the construction of the house, attending lectures and volunteering at Habitat’s ReStore, a thrift store that donates profits to supporting Wilson Area Habitat’s mission of building houses for families in need.
The Hernandez house is the latest of 100 homes built or currently being built by N.C. Habitat for Humanity affiliates for the “Mountains-to-the-Sea Challenge,” which establishes a home in each of North Carolina’s 100 counties. Funding for the houses comes from the State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation, which is giving $10 million for these 100 homes. Once homes are completed, the new homeowners begin making mortgage payments, and SECU returns those funds to local Habitat affiliates so that more homes can be built.
The Saratoga home will be 1,100 square feet and based on a house plan that Hernandez chose. If all goes well, her family will move into it this December. In addition to picking out paint and carpet colors, the family has also made an addition to turn this house into a home.
“Our family has already adopted a puppy,” a smiling Hernandez said.
If you are interested in volunteering time to build the Hernandez home or need more information about the Wilson Area Habitat for Humanity, call 252-291-0816.
Story from: http://www.wilsontimes.com/stories/new-home-for-the-hernandez-family,85975?
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