Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1466756
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MAY 4 - MAY 10, 2022 UCW 11 FEATURE CINDY WHITT, Staff Writer. COM- MENTS? Editor@upandcomingweek- ly.com. 910-484-6200 e Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity was recently awarded a $5 million grant from American author and philanthropist Mackenzie Scott. e grant is part of a $436 million donation to 83 U.S. Habitat affiliates, including eight in North Carolina. e FAHFH branch covers Cumberland, Bladen and Sampson counties. e grant will allow them to continue their work in those locations and expand into Robeson County. e organization has been around since 1988, but they have made signifi- cant progress in providing affordable housing more recently. "In the last 34 years, we've built a little over 200 homes, but 25% of those homes have been built in the last three years," said CEO Ron Gunter. "As you're well aware, we had Hurricanes Matthew and Florence that came through, and for about four years there, we didn't build a single home. We did nothing but repairs for homes and mainly have had homeowners that [whose homes] were built in lower-lying areas of the city." In 2019, FAHFH began construction on a community of 47 homes called Oak Ridge Estate. Nine homeowners are local veterans, and 15 of the fami- lies were impacted by hurricanes. "We'll be finishing up Oak Ridge in June and begin moving to another part of town with more construction to build clusters of homes, anywhere from five to seven to eight homes at a time, hoping to facilitate change and strengthen and revitalize those parts of the community and the neighbor- hood," he said. "Our goal is to build as many homes as we can in affordable housing." FAHFH helps low-income families become homeowners, but they pro- vide more than just a house. ey also offer courses to help families with the challenges of homeownership. ey have 35 online and in-person classes covering banking, insurance and home repair from experts who volunteer time. "We try to have a holistic approach to our homeowners," he said. "We want to help them not only get into their homes but stay in their homes." When someone qualifies for a home, they must commit 300 sweat equity hours. ese volunteer hours combine classroom instruction, work- ing on their future home or volun- teering at ReStore, Habitat's home improvement store. Gunter has seen firsthand the dedi- cation and hard work the families put into securing their homes. He recalled the emotional move-in day for a single mom of three who went through chemotherapy while still contributing her sweat equity hours to construct her house. "To watch tears flow from her face and say, 'I'm not going to move anymore,'" he said. "at's why we do what we do. at's the full payment for us. We get to stand and dedicate that home, commit that home, give them the key. And they're now the home- owner that makes all the difference in the world." e FAHFH has 14 employees covering everything from community relations to family services to finances. ey also have five employees at the local ReStore. ey consider them- selves a small but mighty team that works well together for the greater good. "at's one thing that's very impor- tant: there are no 'lone rangers' in the Fayetteville area Habitat. We're all part of the team, and it takes all of us working together (and it's a lot of hard work), but it's a great team," Gunter said. "ey all step up to do whatever's needed to get the job done." e team will commemorate the completion of Oak Ridge Estates with a fundraising event, Framing the Future, on June 26. ey will also be honoring Gunter on his retirement and welcoming a new CEO, Brandon Price, their current compliance and advocacy officer. "We want to celebrate the amaz- ing work that Ron has done in the past three years with Oak Ridge and his retirement," said FAHFH Direc- tor of Marketing April De Leon. "And everybody that's worked with us in the past three years, all of our vendors that have helped construct the homes [are] invited … we're inviting the city out to celebrate all the good work that's been done in Cumberland County." Framing the Future will be held June 26 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Sweet Val- ley Ranch, 2990 Sunnyside School Road. Tickets are $100 for individuals, and sponsor tables for eight or more are still available. Visit www.fayettevillenchabitat.org to learn more about the organization and upcoming events. Habitat for Humanity donation helps build a future for Fayetteville residents one home at a time by CINDY WHITT George Edmonds (far right), veteran and Habitat homeowner, and other volunteers work on a house. (Photo courtesy of Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity) e Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity recently received a $5 million grant. e FAHFH covers Cumberland, Bladen, Clinton and Sampson counties. e grant will allow the organization to expand into Robeson county. (Photo courtesy of Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity) CEO Ron Gunter (left) and CEO-elect Brandon Price (right) at a Habitat event. (Photo courtesy of Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity) Volunteer Tracey Coffin participates in the Back to Build 2021 event. (Photo courtesy of Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity)