Homes for the Hardworking

Homes for the Hardworking

By Jodi Nash

Shelly Hall has recently moved into a new three-bedroom, energy efficient Warrenton home with her two daughters, ages 12 and 7, the culmination of a process that began in 2011 when she learned she had pulmonary fibrosis.

Her earning capacity was diminished by her health challenges and she knew her housing options were limited. She also remembered when she was 16, her grandmother was the grateful recipient of a Habitat for Humanities home.

“I knew It was the only way to provide for my children,” said Shelly, a 42-year-old single mom who works as an administrative assistant for a local real estate company. When she applied to Fauquier Habitat in 2019, she discovered “it was no walk in the park.”

Families and individuals are chosen based on need, ability to pay and a genuine willingness to partner with Habitat. It involves signing a covenant/ partnership agreement that requires each adult to complete 250 hours of sweat equity (volunteer hours), with a minimum of 15 hours a month working in Habitat’s administrative offices or on site.

Additionally, every new homeowner must attend classes once a month to prepare for home ownership, from long term financial planning and insurance, to interior and exterior maintenance. Throughout the 18-month turn-around process, they must save $1,000 toward closing costs at settlement.

Founded in 1991, Fauquier Habitat for Humanity is based on the conviction that every man, woman, and child should be able to own and live in a home in a healthy neighborhood with access to jobs, transportation, healthy food, and quality schools.

Fauquier Habitat builds new houses in Fauquier and Rappahannock counties, but also has expanded its mission to include a Critical Home Repair Program. It’s designed to alleviate health and safety issues for seniors, the disabled, or low-income earners who would otherwise live in substandard conditions. Applicants must own and occupy the home being repaired (which must be at least 10 years old).

They also can’t be more than 60 days behind in their mortgage payments, or in danger of foreclosure or condemnation, and must be current on their property taxes and have (or be willing to acquire) homeowner’s insurance, in addition to meeting certain income guidelines.

Repairs must improve health, safety, accessibility and/or energy efficiency of a home. It might include installing smoke detectors, roofing and electrical repairs/replacement, plumbing repairs, bathroom accessibility and safety upgrades.

Melanie Burch, Habitat’s senior director of operations and planning, credits the non-profit’s relationships with local subcontractors and vendors who donate labor and materials.

“Ennis Electric wanted to get involved, so they donated all the electrical materials for this house,” she said. “They did the electrical rough-in one day, and the next day did the finish work.”

Melanie acted as the general contractor for Shelly’s house and is passionate about her work.

“Haiti Street in Warrenton is designated for historic redevelopment,” she said. “These are not just blighted homes; they have historic relevance. When we rebuild, we try to capture what was here originally, while using energy efficient materials and best building practices. We want to build it right the first time.”

Elizabeth Rose, Habitat’s director of programming and Services, works closely with the recipient families. And Habitat advocates are volunteers trained to assist first time homeowners with the USDA mortgage application process, homework, questions, career development, and any issues which might arise unexpectedly, such as job loss.

Linneka Greene is also among the new Habitat homeowners and overjoyed at the prospect. A single mom with two sons, Ramad, 9, and Douglas, 2, she’s worked night shifts for 14 years at Quest Diagnostics in Chantilly as a lab processor. In transitional housing for five months, she had a misconception about Habitat.

Linneka Greene and her sons Ramad, 9, and Douglas, 2.

“I assumed it was like Section 8 federal housing and I would be denied for too much income,” she said, adding that she now knows that Fauquier Habitat believes in “a hand up, not a handout.”

As she told her 10-year-old son, “we’re in a competition to win a new house.”

They did, and she earned it.