Habitat for Humanity Home
by John Vaughn
This Spring, members of Southside Baptist church participated with four other churches in building a house for LaVera King and her three year old daughter, Gabrielle. 
During this spring build we had a number of Southside members helping out at the home site building the house as well as others who provided food and refreshments for the volunteers from time to time. The building of the house started in mid March in the Habitat Warehouse located at the corner of Pratt and Washington. We cut lumber for the house and then assembled the cut lumber into prefabbed walls for the house. We then moved the wall sections by truck to the site. Once the foundation was ready, we had a wall raising ceremony and began house construction. Unlike previous Habitat houses, this house has a one car garage and a brick fascia to match the decor of the existing neighborhood.
On July 24th, 2010 we dedicated this house to the King family with prayers for the family, 
a Bible presentation, a Habitat plaque for the house and then the keys were presented to the new home owner.
Habitat for Humanity provides low cost housing to deserving families. The owner has to provide 350 hours of sweat equity along with a small down payment before they can move into the house. During the year before they receive their house, they attend a number of classes to help them to be responsible home owners. These classes are focused on helping them learn to budget their resources, deal with the community and maintain their home. They purchase the house through a 20 year no interest mortgage for the bare cost of the house. No labor is included as it is built by volunteers. The entire process of becoming responsible home owners is structured to help each new home owner by giving them a hand up, not a hand out. It is a wonderful program and we would love for more of our Southside family to get involved in this very worthwhile local mission.
For more information or to help with Habitat for Humanity, please contact John Vaughn at 256-539-0621.