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Stress can lurk all around us – affording child care, paying bills, worries about stretching the grocery money. When you compound those stressors with serious financial difficulties or cramped housing, those troubles can really stack up. Helping ease some of that stress is where South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity comes in.

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Though she has spent a lot of time volunteering at the store and community events, Lorrie’s very favorite times were at the building site, working side by side with neighbors who became friends. Photo credit: Shanna Paxton

Lei and Astafar are acutely aware of both. When they were unable to afford rent in Thurston County, they moved in with family members to save money. Though they were able to cut down on bills, the family still struggled with rising housing costs plus living in tight quarters. What they needed was a place they could afford for themselves and their children, space to spread out and call their own.

“When families move into a house we see a couple different things happen,” says Shawna Dutton, marketing, development manager for South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity. “With the increased stability in the home, you start to see stronger, more financially secure families who are now able to, thanks to reduced stress and more financial resources, self-determine a more positive future for themselves and their families. ” Over the four years she has been in her role, she has seen the positive results of affordable home ownership many times.

On Sunday, June 30, five more families will be handed the keys to their new homes at the Deyoe Vista neighborhood. “We call it our home dedication or key ceremony,” says Dutton. “And it is a culmination of everyone’s efforts – the volunteers, the family, the donors, community partners and advocates – we bring everybody in and we celebrate. We particularly celebrate the family and the journey they took to get to home ownership.”

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Kayleigh and Shareef – This is the first step to bigger and better things for their family. Photo credit: Shanna Paxton

Each family has contributed 200 hours or more of sweat equity to help with the construction of their home and their neighborhood. Oftentimes, future neighbors will be working side by side for months at a time. For new owners, Shareef and Kayleigh, it was a bit of both. Shareef worked at the construction site learning valuable skills. Kayleigh, on the other hand, was not quite in a position to spend hours on a job site. She was pregnant with their third child so her sweat equity was volunteering in the office. There, she saw first-hand the dedication of the staff and the many people benefitting from their services.

Realizing That the Future Looks Brighter

One new homeowner, Crystal, never imagined she would be able to afford a house. After 3 battles with Hodgkin Lymphoma, and then suddenly finding herself a single mom, Crystal was doing everything she could to make ends meet and make a good life for her and her boys. But housing continued to be an issue with high rent prices in Olympia.

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“God has blessed us with this home and we couldn’t be more thankful – or excited,” exclaims Crystal. Photo credit: Shanna Paxton

“The average two bedroom apartment rents for $1,100 to $1,200,” Dutton says, “our homeowners pay $600 and $750 a month to own their own homes. We are half the average rent and they have more space and their home is brand new.”

That extra money in the family budget opens up all kinds of benefits.

For Dutton, her biggest reward at her job is not necessarily the moment families move in, “It’s the year after that drives me to do what I do,” she explains. “Watching kids gain confidence, excel in school, parents exploring post-secondary education opportunities for the first time, and especially, it is watching moms’ stress levels come down. And then their realization that their future is looking brighter and that their success is all the results of their hardwork!”

Helping and Learning

“We need to thank American Forest Resource Council,” says Dutton, “who donated, materials, money and even employees’ time. They came out with Hilary Franz, our public lands commissioner, and they and the new homeowners worked together and framed and raised two of the walls for their home. Their $50,000 contribution funded construction for Shareef and Kayleigh’s home.” You can tell Dutton is moved when talking about the donors and volunteers. It really is the core of the program’s success.

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The process is one of waiting. Waiting through the application process. Waiting for your house to be built. But every family will tell you – the waiting is worth it. Photo credit: Shanna Paxton

These homes also had the help of the YouthBuild program at Community Youth Services (CYS). This is a partnership between the New Market Skills Center of the Tumwater School District and CYS. It is a valuable program providing students with hands-on construction skills so they can walk into a living-wage job at graduation. Other important sponsors include Anchor Bank, The Dawkins Charitable Trust, and Olympia Federal Savings.

It takes a lot of work and commitment from a lot of sources to make Habitat for Humanity work. “It’s not easy,” says Dutton, “but it is giving hard working individuals and families a chance to build strength and stability. It’s a way to give families an opportunity for a better future. A way to put their children to bed in the same room every night.”

To learn about volunteering and donations to Habitat for Humanity, you can visit the South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity website or email Shawna Dutton directly.

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