NEW YORK—Regina Graham lived in a crowded, two-bedroom unit in the projects with her two kids. “And it wasn’t clean,” she said.
“There were people drinking in the lobby, drug dealers,” she said. “I [wanted to] keep my son away from that and make sure my daughter was safe.”
Graham was determined to purchase her own home by the time she was 40, but at 39 and a single parent, the dream seemed a long way off.
She found out about Habitat for Humanity International, a low-income housing initiative that is based on community involvement, and signed up.
“We moved in January 2006 ... and I turned 40 that April,” Graham said.
Habitat for Humanity requires 300 hours of “sweat equity” per adult in the household—that means pitching in hard labor to get the house built. Graham said she put her time into her house, and also enlisted the help of her family members—even her boss and her boss’ husband donated a day of labor to the cause.
The family moved into its three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom condo four years ago and never looked back.
“When we moved in there, [my daughter] was good in school, but now she made valedictorian when she graduated from junior high school. Part of that is because she got a place to study and she was able to come home to peace,” Graham said.
The New York branch of Habitat for Humanity was granted $11 million last week directly from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to get another 100 families like the Graham’s into their own homes.
Josh Lockwood, executive director of Habitat for Humanity New York, said the organization provides an affordable, fixed mortgage that’s about 1 percent down payment, a 2 percent fixed interest rate over 30 years, and 300 hours of “sweat equity.” First-time homeowners are still eligible for an $8,000 tax credit with a home purchase.
“There were people drinking in the lobby, drug dealers,” she said. “I [wanted to] keep my son away from that and make sure my daughter was safe.”
Graham was determined to purchase her own home by the time she was 40, but at 39 and a single parent, the dream seemed a long way off.
She found out about Habitat for Humanity International, a low-income housing initiative that is based on community involvement, and signed up.
“We moved in January 2006 ... and I turned 40 that April,” Graham said.
Habitat for Humanity requires 300 hours of “sweat equity” per adult in the household—that means pitching in hard labor to get the house built. Graham said she put her time into her house, and also enlisted the help of her family members—even her boss and her boss’ husband donated a day of labor to the cause.
The family moved into its three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom condo four years ago and never looked back.
“When we moved in there, [my daughter] was good in school, but now she made valedictorian when she graduated from junior high school. Part of that is because she got a place to study and she was able to come home to peace,” Graham said.
The New York branch of Habitat for Humanity was granted $11 million last week directly from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to get another 100 families like the Graham’s into their own homes.
Josh Lockwood, executive director of Habitat for Humanity New York, said the organization provides an affordable, fixed mortgage that’s about 1 percent down payment, a 2 percent fixed interest rate over 30 years, and 300 hours of “sweat equity.” First-time homeowners are still eligible for an $8,000 tax credit with a home purchase.
“So that’s the best deal in New York for a low income home buyer,” he said.
The $11 million from HUD was through the National Stabilization Program—a specific injection of funds addressing the foreclosure crisis in distressed communities throughout the nation.
Habitat will be focusing on acquiring and turning around foreclosed homes, as well as new construction. The areas they are focused on are Bedford-Stuyvesant and Oceanhill-Brownsville in central Brooklyn.
Lockwood said the money will be spent fast—half must be used within two years and the full amount within three.
“We have to identify, purchase, and rehabilitate projects quickly, and I think anyone who is interested should keep track on our Web site, www.habitatnyc.org.”
Habitat is never short of applications. They recently completed a 41-condominium project in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and had over 9,000 inquiries over the course of two years.
“There’s definitely very strong demand,” Lockwood said. “But I'd also like to say that we serve first, low-income, first-time homebuyers. There are very strict criteria to be able to qualify for a program—someone has to be in sound financial shape with a full-time job and good credit to be able to qualify for our program.”
The $11 million from HUD was through the National Stabilization Program—a specific injection of funds addressing the foreclosure crisis in distressed communities throughout the nation.
Habitat will be focusing on acquiring and turning around foreclosed homes, as well as new construction. The areas they are focused on are Bedford-Stuyvesant and Oceanhill-Brownsville in central Brooklyn.
Lockwood said the money will be spent fast—half must be used within two years and the full amount within three.
“We have to identify, purchase, and rehabilitate projects quickly, and I think anyone who is interested should keep track on our Web site, www.habitatnyc.org.”
Habitat is never short of applications. They recently completed a 41-condominium project in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and had over 9,000 inquiries over the course of two years.
“There’s definitely very strong demand,” Lockwood said. “But I'd also like to say that we serve first, low-income, first-time homebuyers. There are very strict criteria to be able to qualify for a program—someone has to be in sound financial shape with a full-time job and good credit to be able to qualify for our program.”
Volunteers are the backbone of the Habitat vision that started in rural Georgia in 1978. It has grown into a worldwide movement. In the United States, the organization has housed more than 30,000 American families in all 50 states.
New York boasts somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 volunteers who come out to the local build site four days a week almost 52 weeks a year, Lockwood said.
“In New York City it’s just amazing the number of people who want to volunteer and who want to give back is absolutely extraordinary, and for us as an organization seeing those volunteers and their enthusiasm, that is something that inspires us everyday to do more and to serve more low-income people,” he said.
Graham, who has worked full-time at an insurance underwriting company for almost 25 years, said she has continued to volunteer for Habitat.
“Because I feel that it’s better to give than receive when it comes down to something like that, because the more people give back, the more other people will be able to have what I have, or work toward what I have,” she said.
“I tell my kids, ‘no matter where we live at, you don’t have to become a product of your situation,’ and I went to work every day to prove to them that this is what you do when you want to make something of yourself or do better.”
New York boasts somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 volunteers who come out to the local build site four days a week almost 52 weeks a year, Lockwood said.
“In New York City it’s just amazing the number of people who want to volunteer and who want to give back is absolutely extraordinary, and for us as an organization seeing those volunteers and their enthusiasm, that is something that inspires us everyday to do more and to serve more low-income people,” he said.
Graham, who has worked full-time at an insurance underwriting company for almost 25 years, said she has continued to volunteer for Habitat.
“Because I feel that it’s better to give than receive when it comes down to something like that, because the more people give back, the more other people will be able to have what I have, or work toward what I have,” she said.
“I tell my kids, ‘no matter where we live at, you don’t have to become a product of your situation,’ and I went to work every day to prove to them that this is what you do when you want to make something of yourself or do better.”
