Sanford mom and kids get keys to their first home thanks to Habitat for Humanity

For Ashley LaBelle and her two children, Avery and Carter, their very first house is so much more than a home.

“It means a stable home environment and a real chance at financial independence and security,” LaBelle said as she stood with her children on the front step of her new residence on Normand Avenue in Sanford.

Habitat for Humanity York County officially handed LaBelle and her children the keys to the front door of their new home on Tuesday, Feb. 20. For the family of three, the home will be a place where they can "have their own comfortable spaces, as well as room for a new dog too," LaBelle said.

LaBelle and her children have been living in an apartment in Sanford. LaBelle decided to apply to Habitat for Humanity for a new home when a friend told her that the organization, based in Kennebunk, was looking for applicants.

“I felt the urge to apply,” LaBelle said during an interview before the ceremony. “I just felt like I just had to do it.”

Established in 1985, Habitat for Humanity York County is a nonprofit organization that works with families to build and improve places they can call home. The organization generally teams up with households earning up to 60% of the area median income.

LaBelle said that working with the organization, from applying to receiving those keys, made her feel like she was part of its family.

“I felt warmly welcomed from the first interview all the way through today,” LaBelle said. “They understand the importance of ‘home’ and how it can impact all aspects of their lives.”

As part of her arrangement with Habitat for Humanity, LaBelle is purchasing her home through an affordable mortgage that will be no more than 29% of her monthly income, according to Alana Shapiro, the organization’s program coordinator. The mortgage is used to support the construction of more Habitat for Humanity homes in the future.

LaBelle and her children are expecting to move into their new home this weekend, according to Shapiro. Or, as LaBelle put it, “as soon as possible.”

LaBelle’s new home also represents a first for the organization, according to Shapiro. The home is the organization’s first-ever modular construction project.

“Habitat’s goal is to build four homes a year, and modular homes will be a big part of our ability to achieve that goal,” Shapiro said.

The organization’s construction manager and volunteers needed about three months to finish LaBelle’s home once its frame was delivered to the Normand Avenue site, Shapiro added.

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How to apply, volunteer at Habitat for Humanity

To be selected for a Habitat for Humanity home, applicants must meet three basic criteria: need; a willingness to roll up their sleeves and work on the construction; and the ability to pay. As Amy Nucci, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity York County, once said during an interview, the organization is “not a giveaway program.”

As part of the application process, Habitat personnel visit qualified applicants’ homes to assess their needs. They compile all the information they gather into an objective scoresheet, which enables the organization to select the family that best meets the three qualifications.

Those interested in volunteering for or donating to Habitat for Humanity are encouraged to call (207) 985-4850 or visit online at www.habitatyorkcounty.org.

Nucci cited a Maine Housing statistic noting that 86% of York County residents cannot afford to buy a median-priced home at $465,000. Nucci said Habitat for Humanity York County enjoys working with several agencies, as well as the City of Sanford, to pursue the organization’s mission of locating available properties and building affordable homes on them.

The organization worked with Canbury Homes of Sanford to secure LaBelle’s modular residence.

“Our superpower is the way we bring people together based on the common belief that everybody deserves a safe, decent and affordable home,” Nucci said.

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Sanford mom thankful for new home

During the ceremony, for which people gathered on the LaBelles’ new front lawn, Dr. Cynthia Biggar, the interim pastor at the North Parish Congregational Church, blessed the LaBelles’ new home and presented them with a Bible.

After the ceremony, guests joined LaBelle and her children inside their new home and checked out its spacious front room, studio-style kitchen and living room area, and the three bedrooms and bathroom down the hallway. Cookies, cupcakes and drinks were available on the kitchen counter.

About her new home, LaBelle told the crowd what she is excited about the most, especially when it comes to her children.

“I enjoy the thought of hearing the sounds of laughter and giggling echoing through these walls,” she said. “I am thankful they will have a place to call home for many years to come.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Sanford family get keys to new home thanks to Habitat for Humanity