Habitat for Humanity
In Need of Funding and a Gas Line
As you drive underneath the railroad tracks, not too far from the Square in Denton, it seems as if you pass a barrier. It seems mark a lower income earning area. It is somewhat strange, but this is where most of the houses build through Habitat for Humanity lay.
“We get a good price for the plots,” said, Patricia Arellano. And that is what determines where the houses will be built.
It is interesting, because once you see a Habitat house, then you can spot them easily, and you realize they are often in close relation to one another. There are slight differences in appearance, but there is a basic design. They are not in the nicer or higher property valued area of the city. The houses next to the Habitat houses seem a little unkempt or run down in comparison.
Most of the Habitat houses are long from front to back. They have a small porch that has a little fence or no fence. The lay out choices are few, but a few do exist. They have a couple of colors to choose from for the paint, but most colors are similar.
Driving by the houses in the neighborhood where the Habitat houses are built, you see people outside of their houses. They stare at you as you drive down the road. A man wearing a flannel red button up shirt with kinky white and black hair walks down the road and says hi to Marritza Perez, 21 of Denton. She says hi to him, and looks at her mom as they stand outside her front yard. She does not know him, but it seems to her that he will be a new neighbor when she moves into her house.
The dedication ceremony was Saturday. “Who knows when we will get to move in though,” said Perez. “It was supposed to be the beginning of December,” she said laughing. She and her husband are staying at her mother’s house in Denton. It was only supposed to be a couple of weeks, but it is now almost April.
For the most part, Habitat for Humanity plays and essentially positive role in people’s lives…that is not an issue. But like most good things, there are areas of struggle within the process.
In only a month, two people have been fired from the Staff at the Habitat in Denton. The Volunteer Coordinator Diane Hopkins has been fired as well overall coordinator. And it seems as though the organization will be allowed to build one house per year, instead of six.
The funding is being affected and yet it seems as though many organization of the community do their part to raise money for Habitat, or have a percentage of proceeds of sales go towards the organization. Arellano said she spoke to her supervisor because she wondered if she would be let go next.
“She told me not to worry and that my job was secure here,” said Arellano. She shrugs and with a half smile rests her chin on her hand.
The organization depends very much on donations and grants. Darren Parker the office coordinator often calls around to try and get people to donate building materials and get people to donate food for the volunteers. Local companies do make contributions, Lowes and Panera are just two companies that donate their products.
The city of Denton really gets involved with the houses built by Habitat. But it is not really in the building process. There are city codes and people who work for the city come by and tell the future home owners what they want them to do to meet the regulations.
It gets expensive said Perez. “They came by. Told me that we need to put at least two trees in the yard to pass inspection. We had to plant grass…I bought one tree, it was a little more than a hundred dollars,” said Perez. After that, another tree was donated to them, although she was not sure who donated it. They have to do additional landscaping as per city regulations.
“It’s hard, there are costs that we did not expect,” said Perez.
When they initially turned in the application, Perez’s husband Cesar was earning six times less than what he makes now, and she was unemployed. Perez said that the city is saying that they think that their income is too high. She is not sure if that is what set back their move in date.
Arellano said that the approval process is meticulous and in depth.
“At one point they were saying that they thought the Perez’s made too much money or that they were too young to qualify,” said Arellano. “But that is the point, we want them to improve their lives, we don’t want them to keep earning as little as they did when they applied.” She goes on to add that they do not have children yet, and that there is potential for a family now.
Perez explains that they used to live in an apartment and that this was their first house. She and her husband married when she was 16 and he was 18. “We are young…but we are old,” she laughs. “I don’t know how to explain it. I always said if I wanted to start a family, I needed a house…I’m ready, well…not ready ready,” she laughs.
Habitat employees as we as the volunteers get satisfaction out of helping families.
Betty Wan, 21 was the third UNT student to be named Next Generation Profit Leader by American Humanics Inc. “It makes working here more enjoyable.” said Wan. “Seeing the Rodriguez family, when their kids walk around the house…their little eyes light up.”
The families and the staff become attached to one another. They bond, a lot of time is spent working together to try and help out families. Sometimes they go shopping for fixtures together or any little things for the house.
“I love going to Home Depot with the family,” said Arellano and laughs, “I don’t know why, I just like it.” But there are times when things are not so enjoyable.
The staff often deals with donations not coming through, not receiving sufficient funding. Fewer houses are going to be built. Their own jobs do not seem stable at times. Sometimes people are disappointed because they do not get approved and keep calling to ask why they are not getting a house. Sometimes people need to bring back forms by a certain time to turn in the application, but land lords or employers do not, for some reason, pay serious attention and do not fill out the forms in a timely manner.
“Sometimes we tell applicants to get a form filled out by an employer and the employer does not give it back to them,” said Arellano. “The people applying sometimes are timid and do not ask for the form back, and then they get discouraged, it’s very sad.”
Habitat for Humanity in Denton is hoping to expand. This is in hopes of increasing the funding possibilities and opening more avenues for funding in the area. The staff is not very sure what direction this Denton office will take. But they hope that all changes will be for the best. For now though, they put in a lot of work in trying to help build homes for families. And the Perez family, now waits for the city to come in and find the gas line.
“It’s so stressful. I want to move in. The house seems ready, but for some reason, they don’t know where the gas line is,” Perez said. “That kind of seem like one of the first things that they should have figured out doesn’t it?”
