There’s No Place like Home

Habitat for Humanity is helping people by building suitable homes for one family at a time

Story and photo by Max Galanty

When the three little pigs got too big for their home, their mother told them they had to go and build new houses. One pig tried to use straw, another used sticks, and as everyone knows, the third pig had greater success with bricks. How come none of them used volunteers? Perhaps in the fairy tale world they lived in, there was no Habitat for Humanity. However, in Clinton County, Champlain Valley Habitat for Humanity is helping place families in undesirable living conditions in better homes, one piece of ply wood at a time.

Champlain Valley Habitat for Humanity is an independent entity of Habitat for Humanity International. The International organization has helped more than one-million people move into better homes since its creation in 1976. The CVHFH has built six new homes since their creation in 1999.

"We raise the money, build the homes, select the families, and help them after they move in."

The families have to be selected by the Family Selection Committee. The process includes financial checks, credit checks, and an evaluation of the families’ current residence. The CVHFH partners in building construction check for things like leaky roofs, over crowded rooms, high appliances bills, hazardous wastes, and thing of that nature.

"I have looked at two other homes, and they are trailers in bad shape," Bob Gallinger said.
Once a family is selected to live in the newly built home, they aren’t in the clear. Aside from the mortgage they have to pay, they also have to pay in sweat—CVHFH calls this "sweat equity," and the family has to contribute 250 hours to the construction of their home.

"Andrea is at the work site every Saturday and has been all winter. She is finding it very rewarding to be able to build her house with the other volunteers," Harriet Burrell, the board president of CVHFH, says.

"Andrea is a single mother who has fallen on hard times. She has not let that slow her down however. She has put herself through college and has a steady job. She is raising her teenaged daughter to live up to the same high standards. Kelly is an A student," Burrell says.

Other then Andrea, the builders are all volunteers. "Right now, we are working on our sixth house. It is in Keeseville, and right now we are waiting for warmer weather. We hope to have it done some time this summer," Gallinger says.

Most of the people working on the houses are not professionals. "We have a manual, which is more like a college textbook," Gallinger says. However, CVHFH also gets instructions from plumbing supply places for plumbing, lumber supply stores for framing advice, architects for design questions, and so on.

When they finish a house, CVHFH invites people over for the unveiling of the home to the new owners. Basically, the mayor comes, people of the board come, and the volunteers show up. The homeowner is presented the house and given a bible since Habitat for Humanity was built on "ecumenical Christian principles."

"It feels good to give back to the community. Give a hand up, not a hand out," Gallinger says.
Not that the third pig’s house didn’t stand the test of time and the terrible huff and puffs of the big bad wolf, but I don’t think any of the pigs would have minded a house built from the blood, sweat, and tears of volunteers with big, caring hearts like those who volunteer for CVHFH.

Has CVHFH built a house for you? Tell us about it!