Program February 21

Program: Lynne Punnett – Director of Habitat for Humanity

 Kathye introduced our speaker who confirmed the importance of reducing heating costs and said that Habitat for Humanity’s low to middle income homeowners saved an average of $800 a year more in heating costs than homes in the surrounding areasdue to the energy-saving methods used when repairing existing homes.

 There are two major misconceptions about HFH. This first one being that homes are free to clients.In reality, clients pay (on a zero interest loan) the lesser of either the appraisal value of the home once it’s completed or the amount of money put in the home to purchase and/or repair it. Clients are required to help, too, by contributing 200 hours themselves to the project. The second misconception is that Jimmy Carter founded the organization. Millard (pictured) and Linda Fuller along with Clarence Jordan actually founded the Christian-based, non-profit HFH in 1976 in Georgia. Their model is and continues to be one of great success: using donated materials and volunteers to build a house together and provide a zero interest rate mortgage payback over time for their clients.

The organization has 2,000+ affiliates all over the world. Fifteen hundred of them are in the US with 76 in Michigan. In 2000, HFH built 100,000 homes between 1976 - 2000. Then 5 years after that, they built 100,000 more! HFH is now building on average 100,000 homes each year! The average cost to build a home in the US is $80,000 while outside the US it’s $4,000. HFH is the 6^th largest builder in the country and the only one in the Top 10 that is non-profit. HFH has sold 45 homes in Lenawee County to families in the last 23 years. Community partners include: Whirlpool, ACO Hardware, Dow, Hunter Douglas, Lowes, The Home Depot Schneider, and Valspar.

The local HFH operates a Restore Store and the recent Great Pastie Project netted HFH $10,000. Pasties are still available at HFH.