The proceeds of the sale of a property recently donated to Habitat for Humanity of Highland County brought in $170,000 that will allow the organization to build two new homes for the program.
The property was donated by lifelong residents of Hillsboro who did not wish to be identified.
“They were watching the news and Jimmy Carter was headlining it being in ill health, and they thought maybe they should do something with a vacant house they had in Hillsboro,” said Dennis Mount, the board president for Habitat for Humanity of Highland County. “It’s been vacant for four or five years, and we got together and much to my delight they said they would love for us to have it.”
The initial plans are for the homes to be built in an area of the county that Habitat for Humanity has not built in yet. “We have built in Lynchburg and Hillsboro and Rocky Fork and Greenfield, and since it’s Habitat for Highland County, we thought we’d look at other ends of the county which would be Mowrystown or Leesburg or New Vienna, but the determining factor will likely be the cost of the property for us to build on,” said Mount.
“Obviously, if someone donates a parcel, even if it’s in places where we have already built, then we would still need to go to where we can get the best value, but our intention is to find property at those other villages,” he said.
Construction on the first house is planned to begin this spring with a completion some time in 2024. “We usually don’t have multiple builds going on at the same time just because of volunteer capacity,” said Mount.
Work on the second home will start once the first one is completed and another property is located.
As with all Habitat for Humanity projects, most of the work will be done by volunteers. “We are taking names and looking for construction expertise that is willing to be involved in the project, so we are trying to gather a list of different people that would be interested in participating in the builds,” said Mount. “That doesn’t mean donating all of their time. It could be a discount from their normal pricing.”
Mount said Habitat for Humanity of Highland County will begin taking applications for the recipient of each home as soon as a location is determined. “There is a misconception on the awards for the homes,” said Mount. “Most people understand it as a lottery where someone is just given a house, which is not the case.”
Mount said the recipients are required to put in sweat equity, have a job, and have payments withdrawn from their paycheck to go toward the mortgage. “They have to be responsible and have some skin in the game,” he said.
Mount said Habitat for Humanity serves a vital need. “There is such a need, certainly, and you don’t have to look very far to see people in need,” he said. “We are looking for volunteers, and we do take donations of appliances and household items. We’re just hoping to make the county more aware of opportunities to dispose of good used appliances and things that still have value.”
Reach John Hackley at 937-402-2571.
