CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – We have all heard the saying, home is where the heart is. Our first Giving Grace for the new year is about an organization, Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County, helping to make the dream of owning a home a reality.
Habitat began in Clarksville-Montgomery County in 1992 and recently dedicated their 100th home.
Rob Selkow is Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit Christian Housing Ministry that partners with qualified families and helps them build and buy their own homes.
Habitat says they work with members of the community to offer a hand up, not a hand out.
Habitat for Humanity is very busy getting into the new year, partnering with a number of local businesses and organizations. They currently have three homes being built on Richardson Street in Clarksville.
The Clarksville Association of Realtors, SOS (Spreading Our Support) Foundation, and Foster Billings have teamed up with Firefighters from Clarksville Fire Rescue on one of the home builds. Reda Home Builders and the Bible Bros., a local Bible study group, are another part of the building partnership.
“The three homeowners who chose this lot know each other and entered the program at about the same time, went through their homeowner education classes together, so they know and love one another,” said Selkow.
Those proud new homeowners are Sherry Elliott along with her granddaughter MaKayla Schaefer, Willie and Yolanda Pridgen and Ivory Joe Hayes.
Coming for 2021, Selkow talked about the reactivation of a committee called A Brush with Kindness, who are volunteers who help under resourced homeowners in the community. They can assist with yard work or minor exterior repairs on homes.
Plans also include working to build ramps for homeowners with disabilities. Selkow said Habitat will be looking for volunteers for assistance with A Brush with Kindness as well as sponsors to help cover the cost of materials on projects.
When it comes to volunteers for Habitat, Selkow said they have a need for any sort of skills. There are opportunities for someone with administrative or secretarial talents, people that are good with their hands, anyone like a veteran who has a skill they would like to teach or lead others.
Habitat board member Juanita Charles was at one of the home sites recently working with the nonprofit organization she formed, Manifest Magic Black Girl Cooperative. The group does volunteer work in the community and were helping with some of the construction cleanup.
Charles explained what it means to her to be a board member of Habitat. “It means actively and intentionally ensuring that our neighbors have affordable, accessible, and decent housing, and being involved in changing lives in our community,” Charles said.
Something that local shoppers do not want to miss out on is the Habitat ReStore. Selkow described the ReStore as a place to find recycled home improvement goods, furniture, appliances, housewares, and home décor.
The donated items are sold, and the money supports the nonprofit’s work in the community. If you have gently used items to donate to the ReStore, you can have them picked up or just drop them off at the ReStore, 404 Madison St., Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Director of Operations for Habitat for Humanity, Nicole June, shared details about a new initiative for the local affiliate known as Veterans Build, saying there are five pillars that Habitat must be a part of which are engage, employ, educate, honor, and build.
“Our goal is to find veteran applicants and provide them with the resources that they need, and link up with other Veterans organizations within the community that can help us with our veteran applicants,” said June.
June added the program will help Veterans find other resources that they may not be aware of or know they have access to. Some veterans may not always claim Veterans status on applications that may help them with funding or other assistance.
Another important part of Habitat is their Community Room which can be found in the ReStore and is available to nonprofit groups for free activities and events involving such things as arts and crafts and educational projects.
To learn more about the work of Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County, The Habitat ReStore, or to volunteer and become involved with building homes, visit habitatmctn.org, go to facebook.com/hfhmctn/or call 931-645-4222.