Syracuse Family Gets Habitat House
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Syracuse Family Gets Habitat House
By Jennifer [email protected]
A reception was held Sunday afternoon at the recently built new home at 602 S. Manor St., Syracuse.
Brenda Cramer and her four children, Tiffany, 15, Timothy, 12, Christopher, 18, and Kirk, 20, were selected by Habitat For Humanity's Family Selection Committee to receive the home.[[In-content Ad]]The family has lived in a trailer in Whispering Pines Trailer Park, Warsaw, for the past 8-1/2 years. The trailer has windows, doors and a roof that leaks.
Cramer has been employed at Maple Leaf Farms for the past nine years.
The 1,100-square-foot, 1-1/2 bathroom, three-bedroom home was built by the Wawasee Building Trades program. The home also has a utility area for a washer and dryer and a furnace room with a hot water heater, a kitchen and living room.
The financial sponsor for the house was the Syracuse-North Webster Housing Initiative. They received a $30,000 grant from the Rinker Family Foundation to pay for supplies and building expenses.
The remaining funds were raised through various fundraisers and individual donations.
Construction began in September and ended this weekend.
Ed Waltz, Wawasee Building Trades Vocational Class instructor, said this home was the first home the program partnered with Habitat to build.
"The purpose of the program is to have students be able to gain entry-level skills in the construction industry," Waltz said.
The 18 students that worked on the home learned about crawl spaces and foundation work.
Ben Argerbright, a Wawasee Building Trades student, said he was happy to give back.
"I learned how to construct a house by laying foundation and running electrical wire, and it feels good to give them a good home to live in," Argerbright said.
Cramer was required to contribute 250 hours of sweat equity helping on her home and with other Habitat projects, according to Lori Harman, Habitat For Humanity executive director.
Cramer said she is excited to move into the home with her children.
"I never dreamed I would have a brand new home and I hope the students who built it come away with new knowledge, not just on the building but how wonderful it is to help people," Cramer said.
Cramer will be required to pay a monthly mortgage on the home.
"Habitat For Humanity does not give away homes, we sell homes at a construction-cost basis on a no-interest loan," Harman said. The Cramers' home is the 19th Habitat home built in Kosciusko County.
Habitat is looking towards its milestone of building its 20th home, which will be built in Warsaw. Donations are needed to complete the funding of the Warsaw home. The targeted location for the home is on Market Street in Warsaw.
Harman said she does not know when building will take place because they have to have funding fully in place in order to begin. They need $60,000 to complete the build.
She said the desire is to see a tri-fold collaboration for this house from funding donations and volunteers from churches, organizations, area foundations and the community.
For more information about Habitat, call 574-269-4104.
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A reception was held Sunday afternoon at the recently built new home at 602 S. Manor St., Syracuse.
Brenda Cramer and her four children, Tiffany, 15, Timothy, 12, Christopher, 18, and Kirk, 20, were selected by Habitat For Humanity's Family Selection Committee to receive the home.[[In-content Ad]]The family has lived in a trailer in Whispering Pines Trailer Park, Warsaw, for the past 8-1/2 years. The trailer has windows, doors and a roof that leaks.
Cramer has been employed at Maple Leaf Farms for the past nine years.
The 1,100-square-foot, 1-1/2 bathroom, three-bedroom home was built by the Wawasee Building Trades program. The home also has a utility area for a washer and dryer and a furnace room with a hot water heater, a kitchen and living room.
The financial sponsor for the house was the Syracuse-North Webster Housing Initiative. They received a $30,000 grant from the Rinker Family Foundation to pay for supplies and building expenses.
The remaining funds were raised through various fundraisers and individual donations.
Construction began in September and ended this weekend.
Ed Waltz, Wawasee Building Trades Vocational Class instructor, said this home was the first home the program partnered with Habitat to build.
"The purpose of the program is to have students be able to gain entry-level skills in the construction industry," Waltz said.
The 18 students that worked on the home learned about crawl spaces and foundation work.
Ben Argerbright, a Wawasee Building Trades student, said he was happy to give back.
"I learned how to construct a house by laying foundation and running electrical wire, and it feels good to give them a good home to live in," Argerbright said.
Cramer was required to contribute 250 hours of sweat equity helping on her home and with other Habitat projects, according to Lori Harman, Habitat For Humanity executive director.
Cramer said she is excited to move into the home with her children.
"I never dreamed I would have a brand new home and I hope the students who built it come away with new knowledge, not just on the building but how wonderful it is to help people," Cramer said.
Cramer will be required to pay a monthly mortgage on the home.
"Habitat For Humanity does not give away homes, we sell homes at a construction-cost basis on a no-interest loan," Harman said. The Cramers' home is the 19th Habitat home built in Kosciusko County.
Habitat is looking towards its milestone of building its 20th home, which will be built in Warsaw. Donations are needed to complete the funding of the Warsaw home. The targeted location for the home is on Market Street in Warsaw.
Harman said she does not know when building will take place because they have to have funding fully in place in order to begin. They need $60,000 to complete the build.
She said the desire is to see a tri-fold collaboration for this house from funding donations and volunteers from churches, organizations, area foundations and the community.
For more information about Habitat, call 574-269-4104.
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