By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews
WALDPORT – Habitat for Humanity of Lincoln County has received a $360,000 grant from a statewide housing organization to help build two homes on property it owns in downtown Waldport.
The two houses will be on lots next to two homes the organization built in 2013 and 2015 at Northwest Fayette and Commercial streets.
Habitat for Humanity is a national nonprofit with chapters throughout Oregon with a focus on helping low-income families get into homes of their own. It uses grants, donations, proceeds from its resale stores and volunteers to construct houses that it sells at steep discounts and “sweat equity” to low-income families.
It is currently working on two homes in Lincoln City on lots donated by Lincoln County.
The latest grant came from Oregon Housing and Community Services, a state agency that funnels federal and state funds to low-income housing projects across Oregon. Last week it awarded $65 million to 34 organizations to develop 337 new homes.
Habitat for Humanity of Lincoln County was the only local organization to receive a grant during the latest round of funding.
The organization is trying to ramp up its programs in Lincoln County, said executive director Lucinda Taylor.
Formed locally 1995 it has built only two homes in the last five years, Taylor said. Now it is building one new home a year “and working to reach two per year,” she said.
“We are working very hard to increase our production,” Taylor said. “We really should be building more homes for more people.”
One of the Lincoln City homes is a four-bedroom, 1,520-square-foot home for a three-generation family of seven now living in an apartment there. It should be done in September, Taylor said.
The second home is a five-bedroom, 2,100-square-foot home for a single mother of four now living in a Depoe Bay apartment. It should be completed by late this year or early 2024, Taylor said.
As the Lincoln City houses are finishing, Habitat will turn to Waldport for its next project. Taylor said applications for the Waldport homes should open in late summer. A final selection usually takes 3-4 months, she said.
Applicants can come from anywhere in Lincoln County but must have lived here for one year. Their income – whether they are single or a family of five – has to be 30 percent to 80 percent of the average median income in Lincoln County. For example, that could mean income of $25,000 a year for a single person or $50,000 for a family of four.
Once applications are received, Taylor said, a Habitat committee visits the home of each finalist to assess their living situation and then makes a recommendation to the organization’s board.
Once the family is selected, Habitat works with them to decide a floor plan and size of the house. Taylor said the small size of the two Waldport lots – they are about 3,000 square feet – could mean one house might be 2-3 stories tall and the other possibly a fully-accessible single-story home for 1-2 people.
Habitat sells the finished home to the family, but keeps ownership of the lot. If the family eventually needs to sell, deed restrictions require it be sold only to another low-income family, Taylor said.
Habitat could break ground on the homes next summer and be finished in 12-18 months, Taylor said, depending on finances, subcontractors and help from volunteers.
Whomever is selected as the owner is required to put substantial work themselves into the project – 500 hours for a two-adult family and 350 hours for one adult. Families can have friends or other family members work on the house or volunteer in Habitat’s resale stores.
Habitat has its own construction manager who works with local contractors and apprenticeship programs. Individuals or groups and organizations also volunteer for parts of projects, Taylor said.
“Mostly we look for volunteers to help us with these projects,” she said.
Wonderful news. As a former employee of Habitat for Humanity of Lincoln County I have seen this program change lives. One of the beautiful parts is that the new homeowners put what is called ‘sweat equity’ into building their own homes so that, in and of itself, gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment, replacing the feelings of despair. I hope people of our community will volunteer to help build these homes for our new community members.