Transforming neighborhoods, changing lives, creating generational wealth
Home Springs Eternal this morning, Feb. 7, as the sun flies over the top of the roof of a new Columbia Gorge Habitat for Humanity home on the corner of Kelly Avenue and 13th Street in The Dalles. Habitat is looking to keep pace with their one-new-home-a -year goal as this latest build is nudging closer to the finish line as subcontractors are now working on the electrical. Sheetrock and finish work and a ton of other details have yet to be sorted. However, one detail, likely the most important, is that a family from Lyle that will eventually own the home is already putting in the sweat equity.
By Tom Peterson
The Dalles, Ore., Feb. 7, 2024 — Subcontractors were hard at it at the new Habitat for Humanity home on the corner of Kelly Avenue and 13th Street in The Dalles this morning, Feb. 7.
It’s the second habitat house to go in at this location - the other house, next door, was finished last spring.
Columbia Gorge Habitat for Humanity develops affordable housing through the use of volunteers and leveraging in-kind services to make it possible for people at the lower end of the wage scale to be able to afford their own home, build equity and provide greater opportunity for their children.
GREAT EQUALIZER
Land Ownership is one of the great equalizers in the United States of America and is key to building household wealth, according to a story in jpmorganchase.com.
Then…. Work on two habitat homes at this corner has been transformative for the block. This file photo shows the block as it stood a few years ago at at 800 E. 13th St., The Dalles. Columbia Gorge Habitat for Humanity bought this lot where a home burned down for $60,000 and then applied for and received a partition to split it into two lots of 3,000 square feet each so that two family homes could be built. Low housing stock and high rent have hamstrung many locals seeking permanent housing.
And Now - Here is the same corner this morning, Feb. 7. Things are looking up as the sun shines upon the scene.
Here’s why.
It provides a safety net against housing inflation. For example, those who owned homes before the latest meteoric rise in housing costs and then the inflation that came with supply- demand issues during COVID were protected against housing costs. That’s because their housing costs were already set by 30, 20 or 15-year guaranteed fixed percentage rate loans. So while inflation reared its ugly head, a homeowner with a fixed loan had a cost of housing that remained flat.
Meanwhile, house prices skyrocketed and rents increased.
And those who did not have a home, all of a sudden were looking at a larger downpayment, while also battling the increased costs of goods and services, affecting their ability to save. That down payment became even more difficult to attain.
How Habitat Helps
Habitat will carry the loan for homeowners who put in the physical labor. That loan doesn’t have the same requirements as banks, such as the standard 20 percent down required for a traditional loan.
Back on 13th
Back on 13th Street, volunteers Phil Johnson and Brady Wolf were on tap this morning working on the basement while East Cascade Electric began installing the wiring on the first floor.
Johnson said a family from Lyle is already putting sweat equity into the home and providing a nice BONUS! They tend to supply volunteers with some great home-cooked food.
Zach Ziegenhagen, 22, of The Dalles pulls some wiring through the attic of the new house.
Drilling Holes and Nailing Plates
“We cut them a break on it,” said Taner Elliott with East Cascade on speaking about the cost of the wiring job for Habitat. “This is the first one I have done. I kind of solicited them. And I asked them how does this work. He showed me the budget, and we cut it down.”
Elliott said it was a good relationship he hopes to build on as the work came in February, a slower time of the year.
Daryl Richman, 23, of The Dalles spent a part of the morning nailing in electrical boxes. What exactly he has here in his hand, hmmm? A drill for sure. Not so sure on the rest. Could be a mount for a smoke alarm or possibly a ceiling fixture box. Sorry, forgot to ask the question. If you have to know, call Taner Elliott at East Cascade. But don’t tell him I sent you.
“They have a really good crew over there,” he said of the volunteers including Johnson and Wolf. “They have a big background in construction and they are all hard workers and get after it.”
Elliott also noted Habitat had made a recent purchase of property in Hood River for a Habitat Home.
“That’s a tougher community to break into,” he said of people making a first-time home purchase. “Simple fact is land costs so much more over there.”
Columbia Gorge Habitat for Humanity provides housing in Klickitat, Wasco and Hood River counties. There are many ways to donate - click the link above. You can also drop off usable building materials or other home items in good condition at Habitat’s ReStore, 1001 W. Sixth St., The Dalles. Proceeds from the store fund housing projects.
If you are interested in volunteering, contact columbiagorgehfh@gmail.com or call (541) 296-8817.
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(Does Nancy Turner have the earliest blooms of the season?) Curious.
