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Tammy Good and her two sons Demetre, 12, center, and Forrest, 14, enjoy the front porch of their new home on Ivy Street in Grass Valley, built through Habitat for Humanity. They expect to move in before Christmas.
The two newest homeowners in Nevada County wiped tears away Sunday afternoon as they got ready to move into the 18th and 19th houses built by Nevada County Habitat for Humanity.
“You hear that you're not getting a house, you're getting a home,” said Kaye Connors. “But it's more than that. It's about giving someone a life ... It's about possibilities, it's about hope.”
Connors and her daughter, Sage — and next-door neighbors Tammy Good and her sons, Forrest and Demetre — were welcomed to their new homes on Ivy Street in Grass Valley by a crowd of well-wishers.
“What am I feeling right now?” asked Good with a big laugh. “Lots of excitement ... I'm very emotional. It's just a dream come true.”
Good, who is a widow, said she first applied for a Habitat house more than a year ago; there were more than 60 applicants for the house, one of five built by Habitat for Humanity on Ivy Street.
“I thought we'd be renting for the rest of our lives,” she said. “It's unbelievable.”
The local Habitat for Humanity, which was established in 1995, has completed 19 homes to date. All families contribute a minimum of 500 volunteer hours known as “sweat equity” and buy their homes with a 1 percent cash down payment.
Connors, who first started looking into obtaining a house through Habitat four years ago when her rental burned down, said she has put in over 600 equity hours — “from stripping forms to laying sod and everything in between ... I tried to be here as much as I could.”
They take on a zero-interest mortgage that is paid back to Habitat and that is based on no more than 30 percent of their income, said Executive Director Debbie Arakel.
The two houses cost an estimated $170,000 to $185,000, which included the cost of gifts in kind such as appliances, Arakel said.
“We're building homes for $66 a square foot,” Arakel said, in large part due to the all-volunteer labor force.
A lot of love and labor goes into the houses, said construction coordinator Frank Sobrero.
“When we first started, it would take us a long time to build a house,” he said. “We've gotten better and better, our skills are improving. These two we did in six months.”
Sobrero said the local Habitat chapter has about 40 volunteers, of whom about 20 work on a house on any given day.
“We try to involve all of them,” he said.
Grocery Outlet also becomes involved in the process, supplying all kinds of goodies for the new homeowners, including food, dry goods and even a new vacuum cleaner.
Habitat's next project is ambitious —16 homes on a lot off Whiting Street in Grass Valley. Once the project is approved, work will start next year, Sobrero said.
To contact Staff Writer Liz Kellar, e-mail lkellar@theunion.com or call 477-4229.
“You hear that you're not getting a house, you're getting a home,” said Kaye Connors. “But it's more than that. It's about giving someone a life ... It's about possibilities, it's about hope.”
Connors and her daughter, Sage — and next-door neighbors Tammy Good and her sons, Forrest and Demetre — were welcomed to their new homes on Ivy Street in Grass Valley by a crowd of well-wishers.
“What am I feeling right now?” asked Good with a big laugh. “Lots of excitement ... I'm very emotional. It's just a dream come true.”
Good, who is a widow, said she first applied for a Habitat house more than a year ago; there were more than 60 applicants for the house, one of five built by Habitat for Humanity on Ivy Street.
“I thought we'd be renting for the rest of our lives,” she said. “It's unbelievable.”
The local Habitat for Humanity, which was established in 1995, has completed 19 homes to date. All families contribute a minimum of 500 volunteer hours known as “sweat equity” and buy their homes with a 1 percent cash down payment.
Connors, who first started looking into obtaining a house through Habitat four years ago when her rental burned down, said she has put in over 600 equity hours — “from stripping forms to laying sod and everything in between ... I tried to be here as much as I could.”
They take on a zero-interest mortgage that is paid back to Habitat and that is based on no more than 30 percent of their income, said Executive Director Debbie Arakel.
The two houses cost an estimated $170,000 to $185,000, which included the cost of gifts in kind such as appliances, Arakel said.
“We're building homes for $66 a square foot,” Arakel said, in large part due to the all-volunteer labor force.
A lot of love and labor goes into the houses, said construction coordinator Frank Sobrero.
“When we first started, it would take us a long time to build a house,” he said. “We've gotten better and better, our skills are improving. These two we did in six months.”
Sobrero said the local Habitat chapter has about 40 volunteers, of whom about 20 work on a house on any given day.
“We try to involve all of them,” he said.
Grocery Outlet also becomes involved in the process, supplying all kinds of goodies for the new homeowners, including food, dry goods and even a new vacuum cleaner.
Habitat's next project is ambitious —16 homes on a lot off Whiting Street in Grass Valley. Once the project is approved, work will start next year, Sobrero said.
To contact Staff Writer Liz Kellar, e-mail lkellar@theunion.com or call 477-4229.
