A home of her own: Local resident celebrating her new Habitat for Humanity house
Jun. 2—Habitat for Humanity of Owensboro-Daviess County and new homeowner Hannah Crite will celebrate the completion of the nonprofit organization's 150th home with a home dedication ceremony Thursday, June 2.
Crite said the roughly 1,500- square-foot house in the 2400 block of West Fifth Street will the first home she has owned.
"We have rented for several years, and going from renting to owning a home, it is scary, but it will be worth it when it is all said and done," she said Wednesday while standing in her new kitchen. "I am excited, but I am nervous, and I am sure that everyone that does this program is."
Moving from her current 900-square-foot residence near Tamarack Road into her new four-bedroom home will provide more space for Crite and her family, which includes three children — ages 7, 8 and 10 — and a young man she is the legal guardian of.
"I have had him for several years now,l on top of my three kids," she said. "I love it, and I love him. He is like one of my own."
Crite said she is friends with another Habitat homeowner who lives in the nonprofit organization's 125th home.
"She had told me several years ago that I should do it with her," she said. "I wasn't in a place at that time where I could dedicate time to that, and I decided three years ago to take that leap and finally see what it is about."
After applying and attending the required financial literacy classes, Crite began completing her 350 "sweat equity" hours, which are required of all Habitat for Humanity homeowners.
Jeremy Stephens, executive director of the local Habitat chapter, said Wednesday that the required volunteer hours are one of the most important parts of the program.
"Before they are even assigned a lot that doesn't have a home on it, they have to get those 350 hours in," Stephens said. "Then they are assigned that lot, and that build is just in the order of when we get to it."
Stephens said that even after a new homeowner completes their 350 hours working on other Habitat for Humanity homes, they are are still waiting for their own home to be built and still volunteering hours.
"It is an ongoing process of involvement," he said.
Crite said showing up to a job site and working on a building project was a little intimidating at first, but the time spent hammering in nails and painting helped prepare her for home ownership.
A crew of volunteers with backgrounds in construction will help show those working towards their own Habitat home the ins and outs of what they are doing.
"They will walk you through it and tell you what to do, and how it is done and what is expected of it," Crite said.
Applications for a Habitat for Humanity home are accepted twice a year, during January and June. Applicants are required to be at least a 12-month resident of Daviess County, have not declared bankruptcy during the past two years, have an income of between 40% and 60% the median income in Daviess County and be a U.S. citizen or in the process of becoming a citizen.
Crite said she had a direct hand in helping design the look of her home, including features such as the siding, shingles and interior paint color.
"You really do get to be a big part of what it is going to look like," she said. "It is amazing, especially knowing everything I went through to get to this point."
