Leonard at Large
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Leonard Ernsbarger
The Blitz is on
This week, history is being made in Nevada. The area's first blitz build by
Habitat for Humanity is in progress. During a 10-day period, a new house is
being built by the group. This is the eighth house that the local chapter has
built, but it's the first to be constructed in such a short period of time. A
banner on the Nevada United Methodist Church says, "The Blitz Is On." The
Habitat for Humanity chapter was formed in the early '90s. It did not get
started as early as similar groups in Lamar and other places, taking a while to
get organized after the need for the local program was identified. Since then,
however, the local program has enjoyed great success. Habitat for Humanity helps
people to have the opportunity to live in affordable housing. This is not only
beneficial to the families selected for the housing, but it is good for the
community. There are many living in inadequate housing who cannot afford to
purchase a home of their own. One of the families selected for a Habitat house
had lived in a farm house for a period of time. There were a number of problems
with the house; and, according to the renter, the landlord would not fix
anything. They finally moved to another house, before having the opportunity to
move into their Habitat house.
Each house that has been built required organization and planning. Not to
mention the volunteers' putting in several hours to build the houses. We have
several individuals that have been highly dedicated to these projects. The
"blitz build" started last Saturday and is scheduled to be completed next
Sunday. I have heard of Habitat for Humanity homes being built in about a week,
but never gave it much thought. I thought that was a short period of time,
realizing how long it can take to build a house. When hearing about the local
chapter planning to build the house in a short period of time, I thought that
was a good challenge and will be great if the goal is met. Certainly, to build a
house in such a short period of time, has taken much organization and planning.
These things do not just happen, This particular project has been in the
planning stage for six months. The construction requires a large number of
volunteers, who help in a variety of ways. Among those providing leadership to
this project are Bob Beaver, president of the local chapter serving as project
coordinator: Joe Sunthimer, construction coordinator; Leeann Holland, food
coordinator, and the Reverend Ralph Clark volunteer coordinator.
The site of the house now under construction is 242 N. Lynn. Preparation such as
digging and pouring the foundation was performed in advance. This type of work,
along with plumbing and electrical fittings are contracted to professionals in
order to meet the code requirements. The walls were constructed off-site on
Sept. 11. These were moved and put in place last Friday, in preparation for the
Blitz Build. Tuesday morning, after three days of work, Bob said that it was
giving very well and construction is on schedule. Tuesday afternoon, high school
kids were to hang sheet rock and siding was also expected to be finished
Tuesday. One of the advantage of the Blitz Build is getting the family into the
house sooner. They will not have to wait as long. A mother and her four children
will take possession of the house when it is completed and will be moving in.
They have been approved by the board for several months and it is great that
they soon will have a new home. This home, about 1,200 square feet, will be
larger than those built in the past, to accommodate the family. There will be
four bedrooms and two bath rooms. The larger house, along with building supplies
going up in price, will make the house more expensive to build than previous
homes constructed by Habitat for Humanity, requiring more funds by the local
chapter.
Families who receive a house must meet certain requirements. They have to be
able to partnership with the Habitat board and to have an income sufficient to
make payments for the house. At the same time, they are not to have a large
income that would enable them to purchase another house on their own. It is
difficult for many families to meet these and other requirements. They are also
required to put in a certain number of sweat equity -- hours during which they
volunteer to help Habitat for Humanity with the construction.
The advantages in receiving a home include an opportunity to move into adequate
housing, becoming a home owner, not having to pay interest, and with most of the
labor donated, the house is constructed for less. The payments for the homes are
used to help with the construction of additional Habitat homes.
The efforts and contributions many individuals have given to the program over
the years and including the present time have been tremendous and deserving of
thanks. As a person with a background in 4-H and as I often say, those who have
been and are now highly dedicated to the cause are well deserving of a bouquet
of four-leaf clovers. There are still a need for volunteers for the current
home, it takes 12 to 15 volunteers each day. All kinds of help is needed -- not
only by those who can do carpentry work or paint. Help is also needed for
cleanup the work site, pull wire, hold a ladder and numerous other jobs on the
site. There is also a need for volunteers to be involved in other ways. For
additional information and to volunteer contact The Rev. Ralph Clark at the
Nevada United Methodist Church at (417) 667-5435.
Additional funds are needed. People wishing to make tax deductible funds can
contact Clark or Bob Beaver at (417) 667-6714.
Information about the project and pictures may be viewed at
www.umcn.info/habitat/.
We want to thank The Nevada Daily Mail for permission to reproduce this article.
For Additional Information or to Volunteer
(417) 667-5435
habitatblitz@umcn.info