December 6, 2000
Habitat provides homes for the holidays
Habitat for Humanity holds home dedication ceremonies
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Cindy Coddington can turn her bathroom faucet off this winter.
Instead of running the water non-stop to prevent the pipes in her beat-up trailer from freezing and bursting, she will spend this winter in her new home, courtesy of Habitat for Humanity - Grand Traverse Region. Starting next weekend, she and her three children will enjoy the first of many winters in their Blair Township home.
"We were living on this property in a trailer that was just too small for us and not a good place to live," said Coddington. "It was run down and needed to be fixed, but it cost too much to fix."
Realizing she and her family needed a better place to live, Coddington began looking around to buy a home. Her dream of home ownership quickly sank when faced with the reality of housing prices in the region. Working in her family business, Coddington Cleaners, and raising three teenage children, she quickly realized her only hope of owning her own home was Habitat for Humanity. She applied last spring during the organization's annual Family Selection Fair, pleased to be selected but uneasy at first.
"I was very, very skeptical at first, I didn't know what was involved," Coddington said. "As time went on I was a little more at ease. You don't want to get your hopes up and have it taken away."
Coddington learned as the months went on that her home was going to be a reality. She began donating the 275 hours of 'sweat equity' required by Habitat for Humanity for partnering families. Her teenage children each contributed 40 hours of labor.
Ironically, Coddington did not work on her own home while completing her sweat equity requirement. She was part of the women's team at the National Cherry Festival who built a home downtown; this home went to another family. The men's team worked on her house that week.
The experience of home building, however, is one she will not forget.
"I liked working with my hands, being able to build and do something for myself," she recalled.
Her faith and hard work paid off Sunday afternoon at her home's dedication ceremony. Surrounded by family, friends and Habitat staff and volunteers, Coddington realized her dream of home ownership.
One of two dedication ceremonies that day, with another scheduled for next weekend, Habitat volunteers and staff find turning over the keys to a new homeowner one of the most satisfying aspects of their efforts.
"I love dedication ceremonies," said Mike DeAgostino, president of the board of directors of the local Habitat organization. "For all of us, this is what we've all been working on together. This is the payoff."
The Coddington family is one of 34 families in Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie and Kalkaska counties who have received a Habitat home in the past 12 years. With an ambitions goal of building eight to ten homes in 2001, the local organization is helping raise the living standards of the working poor in the region.
"This area has a high need for affordable housing," said Onalee Marsh, executive director of the Habitat for Humanity - Grand Traverse Region. "The cost prevents families making basic wage from having a place to live."
Marsh pointed out that in this very affluent region, pockets of poverty are hidden away. Trailers and run-down homes are sprinkled at the end of dirt roads or tucked behind better neighborhoods. Very few affordable rental units are available, which also contributes to the lack of affordable housing.
Habitat for Humanity selects its partner families based on four criteria: a need for adequate housing, willingness to be a partner, ability to pay the mortgage of about $350 a month and a resident of one of the four counties for at least a year.
"We are a hand up, not a hand out," Marsh said. "We work very hard to ensure that our homeowners are successful, we help them with credit counseling, home repair and maintenance, a lot of things first-time homeowners need help with."