As Habitat for Humanity prepares to mark the 50th anniversary of its founding next year, Habitat San Angelo is in its 31st year with 79 homes completed, and Director Pam Hammer says they currently have a few new projects in the works.
According to the most recent housing study update, San Angelo needs hundreds of additional housing units at prices all workers can afford, and Habitat has a lot of experience with that.
Hammer sat down with The Concho Observer on Monday to share what’s new.
Where Do You Start?
Habitat has built dozens of homes in San Angelo. The system is simple: Habitat builds a home on a donated plot and works with applicant families. After their 20-year, no-interest mortgage is up, it’s their home.
“When your average rent is $1,000 dollars a month for a two-bedroom home, you must make around $40,000 dollars to not spend more that 30 percent of your gross income.
“And that’s what you want to avoid when you purchase a home; you never want to spend more than 30 percent of your gross income.
“So, when you’re talking [about] low-income families, they can’t spend that kind of money every month on rent. On top of that, you have a car payment, student loan, electric, phone bill, and raise children. You just can’t do it.
“Our average mortgage is $700 a month. Some of these homes are smaller, but they come with appliances, and with taxes and insurance included.
“You have a roof over your head, a school district, a place for kids to come home and study.
“It’s important to note, that’s an additional $400 to $500 per month; that’s a car payment. You can take your kid to the doctor; you can afford to do those things. When you’re talking about low-income families, they can’t spend that kind of money every month and then have a car payment, student loans, groceries, and insurance, too.
How Does the Financing Work?
“New housing developments in town can say they’re affordable housing, but you still have to apply for a bank loan, and none of my families can qualify for a bank loan.
“Everyone pays their mortgage. We’ve foreclosed on 1 home out of 79 constructed.
Does Habitat Think This Could Be a Larger Model for Housing?
“It would be nice, there is money out there. And there are other options. Galilee Community Development Corporation does essentially the same thing we do, but with a little-bit-higher income families.
“You still have to have good credit, your debt to income ratio to be right side up. What I see that kicks people out faster than anything? Car payments, credit card payments, student loans.
How Does the ReStore Work?
According to information from Habitat for Humanity, the very first ReStore operation in America opened in Austin, Texas, in 1992, and the idea quickly caught on with the trendsetters in that town.
San Angelo’s ReStore is located in the historic Martin-Glover grocery warehouse, built more than a century ago, situated alongside the railroad tracks at Chadbourne, between Fourth and Fifth streets.
ReStore is an open-air warehouse market, where you can pick up some great deals on housing fixtures and other hardware. There are rows and rows of pipes, fixtures paints and more.
Hammer said this part of the operation has become one of the primary funding sources for Habitat in San Angelo.
“We get a lot of Honey-do customers,” she explained, “People who are redoing their houses, and they’re looking for a deal. We’ve actually had a lot of new products in the store right now, so we’ve had to get picky.”
Anything New At The Store?
Hammer said the local business and the public have been very good about supporting the ReStore with donations of all kinds.
“We currently have 2,300 sq. foot of metal roofing, donated by a lady who ran a farm, and it was left over from building the barns,” she said, noting they also recently received 30 pallets of lighting fixtures from Principal LED.
Everything in the ReStore is in good condition, and offered at a steep discount, and the funds are put toward future housing projects.
Hammer said they have a list of things that are always in demand.
“Doors, windows, cabinets, toilets, tubs, sinks, cabinets and doors, we get lots of requests for both,” she said.
Impact of the July Flooding?
Hammer said Habitat has been busy helping people impacted by the summer flooding.
“After the floods, we were able to secure quite a bit of funding for helping flood victims. After speaking to FEMA, they suggested that since we didn’t quite have the resources and manpower, that what we might do is spend that money on our electrician to go through these flooded homes and rewire them. So we’re working with Galilee Community Development through the Long-Term Recovery Group.
“Right now we’re really pursuing those who initially signed up for help through FEMA and then disappeared, who have not reached back out. So we’re really trying to get the word out.
Upcoming Fundraiser
Coming up on Nov. 14 and 15, Habitat San Angelo will host a fundraiser Holiday Art Show and Sale, at Studio Rio, 423 S. Oakes St., featuring artists Eileen Albertsen, Roger Ellison, Libby Mims, Judy Sikes, and Marsha Vosburg.
Offerings will include handcrafted Christmas ornaments and other gifts from Judy Sikes and Libby Mims, original glass pieces by Eileen Albertsen, charcuterie boards form Roger Ellison, and multi-media gifts from Marsha Vosburg.
The Need for Affordable Housing Remains
Hammer said a lot has changed since the community built the first Habitat house over three days in 1995.
“We started out with the ‘100 Texans Build,’ she said, “100 people together; they all donate $60 apiece, and in 10 months you have $60,000 dollars, which when we started was enough to build a home.
“Now, it takes about $140,000 for a 3-bedroom 2-bath home, brand new. And that is on donated lot. If we had to purchase land, it would be a lot more of course.”
“Right now, we have enough donated property to build about five more homes, before we’re going to have to start thinking about how we’re going to purchase new property.”
How Can I Help?
Hammer said volunteer opportunities still exist at Habitat San Angelo, although they do operate a little differently now.
“Most of the volunteer work we have now is in the ReStore,” she explained. “We don’t have a lot of build days anymore, and part of that is because we went to building with contractors, because most volunteers can only work on Saturdays from about 8 to 11 a.m.
“So, we don’t use a lot of volunteers in the builds anymore, because we don’t have enough people who can work consistently for four months to build the house. I would if I could.
“We encourage volunteers at the store … there’s always merchandise that needs to be cleaned, prepared, put back together. Helping customers. Theres always stuff to do back here.
To learn more about how you can help out Habitat, visit their website.
