COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Tenn. (WJHL) — Holston Habitat for Humanity hosted a groundbreaking ceremony in Colonial Heights on Monday for the future home of a family of five.
Christina, Chris and their three children are the most recent families to receive a home through Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit agency that builds or refurbishes houses for qualifying homebuyers through an affordable Habitat mortgage.
Laura Kelly, executive director for Holston Habitat for Humanity, told News Channel 11 that the organization offers families in need a 0% interest mortgage for an energy-efficient and affordable home, helping to make them more financially stable.
“I really see it as a hand-up,” she said. “It’s going to offer them financial stability, it will be affordable. It’s a 0% interest mortgage which is just life-changing. So, they’ve really learned a lot of things throughout the program, and we know that they’re going to succeed and we’re here for them every step of the way.”
Kelly said Habitat for Humanity works with families during the time leading up to a home’s construction to prepare them for the financial ebbs and flows of homeowning.
“Leading up until today, they have already volunteered over 150 hours of sweat equity. They have saved for their closing costs, [and] they have gone through almost ten weeks of homeownership education. So, they have worked really hard to get to this point today where we get to celebrate this groundbreaking.”
“We are looking forward to having a nice place to raise our children and a stable home,” said Christina and Chris. “This will change our lives by giving us more family time and taking away a lot of our mental and financial stress.”
The construction of the home is entirely volunteer-based and will take around twelve weeks to complete, the organization said in a release.
