As everyone is painfully aware, coping with Covid-19 made last year very challenging on many fronts. The good news is through the dedicated efforts of our over 180 regular volunteers we were able to keep home building moving forward, help homeowners through some lean times, review and approve new home applications and achieve outstanding store sales even though it was closed from March 14 until June 10th to protect the health of customers and volunteers. We were also able to provide leadership, construction assistance and funds throughout most of the year to repair damage caused by the tornadoes in April. I’m happy to say that through it all, the state of Oconee County Habitat For Humanity (OCHFH) is very good. Our most pressing need is to continue to recruit new volunteers and grow futures leaders. You will find more detail on all of these and other important activities below.
My primary work here at Oconee County Habitat For Humanity was mostly in the store for the past several years. Like many of you, I was only able to get a glimpse of all the things that are necessary to keep OCHFH functioning. It has been eye opening to see the wide array of things that must be done and the skills that are needed for us to achieve The Habitat Mission of bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope in our local community. I hope this longer than usual newsletter will help you to see the bigger picture.
Vital Statistics
- Homes completed last year: 4
- Homes under construction: 4
- Homes we plan to start this year: 4
- Volunteers: 183
o Store: approximately 90
o Truck crews: 25
o Construction: 30
o Family Selection: 14
o Family Partners: 11
o Board of Directors and Officers: 13
Financial Status
According to Habitat for Humanity International, we are the largest and most successful all-volunteer affiliate in the country. Thank you for contributing to the success of our organization! Our financial status is extremely sound due to the all-volunteer make-up of our organization. This means that all our income goes to building homes for our clients and not to salaries for executives, store managers or other employees.
Our affiliate has two primary sources of income, which include our 83 mortgages and the net profit from our retail store. The income we make each year allows us to build about four new homes. During 2020, we completed four homes in the West Union area for Amber Charles, Cheney Davis, Pam Evans, and Donna Kemp. This year we are on track to close on our last 4 homes in West Union, which will bring our total to 14 homes in that subdivision. We will be moving some of our operations later this year to the Mt. Nebo area in Seneca, where we have 5 lots to start building there for homeowners who have already been selected and who are working on their sweat equity.
Our new homeowners are paying approximately $400 per month, which includes their mortgage payment, property taxes, and homeowner’s insurance. Habitat does not charge any interest on our mortgages which is why homeownership is affordable to so many people in our community. However, this year we have seen that the rapidly rising cost of raw materials may result in higher mortgage payments for future homeowners. Because of Covid-19, we have also had difficulty getting our appliances due to the disruptions in manufacturing. Our mortgages are set now at 30 years, although they may be paid off early at no cost to the homeowner.
Our sound financial position allowed us to provide a very meaningful response to the tornado damage this past year that impacted so many people in Seneca and our county. You can read more about our response to this disaster in this newsletter.
During 2020, we had four homeowners who finished paying off their mortgage. This is quite an achievement! So far this year, one additional homeowner has paid off her mortgage.
Just over 10 years ago, Bill and Grace Holzhauer started the Holzhauer Education Fund, which provides grants to our homeowners and their children who are interested in attaining a GED or post high school degree. To date, we have given out 191 grants, totaling $136,370. Donations made to Oconee County Habitat for Humanity may be designated to this fund to enable us to continue to support our families. There will be more information on the Fund in a subsequent newsletter.
Our affiliate’s reach goes far beyond just our local county. We contribute a tithe to Habitat for Humanity International which is 10% of our income from donations and net profits from the Resale store to help support several international priorities. One is the global mission which is used to help families outside the U.S. secure decent shelter. Another is to support orphans and vulnerable groups who face persecution. For the final priority, we support the response to international disasters as they occur.
Resale Store Update
The Resale sales for last year were down compared to 2019 because the store was closed for three months and was open only part-time for several months after it re-opened. Additionally, we had higher expenses to get the store in compliance with CDC guidelines regarding Covid-19. Remarkably, the monthly average sales were almost the same as 2019.
The store returned to normal hours in early January. They are Wednesday – Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM & Saturday 10 AM to 1 PM. We got off to a great start with January sales up 12% compared to January last year.
We are starting to see the return of volunteers that were more vulnerable to the virus, but we still need more volunteers to reduce the workload and provide adequate backup to cover for vacations and unplanned absence.
Changes to the perimeter of the property to improve security are underway and include moving the boat yard fence to provide better protection for the back of the store and new dusk to dawn outside lighting. We are also investigating resurfacing the parking lot while the store is closed for the summer break and upgrading the security camera system.
Construction Update
Our current site in West Union is almost completed. There are 14 homes on that site. The construction crew works 3 days a week from 7:30 AM to approximately 11:30 AM Monday, Thursday & Saturday, weather permitting. If you are interested in working at the construction site, the West Union homes are on Eastpointe Drive behind Ingles. We will be starting to construct homes in Seneca at Mt Nebo soon. Contact Jon Goyert 850-621-3395 for more details.
Placing first roof truss on the final house in West Union.
70 minutes later all of the roof trusses were in place. Construction teams are getting this down to a fine art. Great job!
Tornado Relief Program
On April 13, 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, a series of tornados swept through Seneca, tearing off roofs, porches, siding, and knocking down hundreds of trees. A number of homes and businesses were completely destroyed. Following the storm, the city of Seneca, FEMA, United Way, and numerous church organizations set up programs to help in the storm recovery process. In addition, a number of our Habitat volunteers jumped into the early recovery effort as individuals or as part of the church groups doing mostly tree removals from roads and buildings.
The city of Seneca set up a program to provide emergency assistance and Habitat donated $5,000 to the effort. But our Board recognized that we could do more for the victims of the storm and initiated a tornado relief program to help fund some of the repairs to homes. In this way, the program will enable Habitat to serve more people in our housing ministry. In addition, the program would increase opportunities for volunteer engagement and expand our base of donors and partners. A number of Board volunteers put together a plan for implementation and a budget for the Tornado Relief Program (TRP).
Specifically, applicants were eligible for up to a $10,000 grant for repairs not covered by insurance or other funding resources if the need for repair of their current housing was caused by the April 13th tornado and they both own & occupy the home.
In addition to providing funding for storm victims, HFH volunteers also worked with the Oconee County Long Term Recovery Group to help perform and coordinate repair efforts across multiple programs. Over a dozen OCHFH construction volunteers worked in groups to repair and replace tornado damaged home decks and railings, roof trusses and decking, vinyl siding, soffit, fascia, sheetrock, windows, roof coverings, kitchen cabinets, plumbing, handicap ramps, and numerous other tasks.
As part of the repair program, a number of church organizations (Catholic Charities, Foothills and Seneca Presbyterian Churches, St. Paul the Apostle Church) donated money directly to HFH to be used exclusively in the tornado repair program. At this time, nearly $27,000 from these organizations has been donated and we have spent close to $41,000 for materials, rentals, and subcontractor support. At the start of the program, there were nearly 200 homes identified that needed some level of repair. Over the past year, the number has been reduced to less than a dozen with a couple homes still needing major repairs. We anticipate spending another $10,000 to $15,000 before we are finished with the program. We are grateful for all the volunteers that contributed to this effort of expanding our housing ministry, increasing volunteer engagement, and expanding our donor and volunteer base.
35th Anniversary Celebration
The Board is planning to have an outside event for volunteers and spouses this summer to celebrate the 35th Anniversary. Kathy O’Brien has offered to chair the committee. If you have suggestions, pictures or stories that you would like to contribute please contact her. Her email address is: kacoinc2@yahoo.com. More information will be provided as the plans develop.
Board of Directors
Since the previous newsletter, we recently added David Stafford to the Board of Directors. We are still searching for volunteers for the positions of Secretary and 1st VP (Loan officer). We are always in need of new volunteers, so invite your friends, church members and neighbors to volunteer and don’t be afraid to volunteer to take on new or different responsibilities. Thank you for the selfless service you provide to our community.
Cecil Murray
President, Oconee County Habitat for Humanity