Faith Schedule : 2nd Saturday of the Month, 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Contact Tom Baird at habitat@faith-andover.org for meeting locations as it can vary month-to-month. And take some time to chat with him if you see him at church.
Building Homes & Building Hope
Faith Lutheran partners with The Merrimack Valley Habitat for Humanity which is a nonprofit housing ministry and part of the larger Habitat for Humanity family. Faith Lutheran supports their global vision that everyone should have a decent place to live. We are joyful to join in their efforts to bring people together to build homes and to build hope for a brighter future. Tom Baird is our main church representative and champion for Habitat for Humanity. His compassion for people and his commitment and desire to this organization is inspiring and a true testament to God’s goodness.
We Need You!
You don’t have to be an expert builder or have specialized skills to contribute to the build projects. There will always be a job for you regardless of your skill level. Faith members 16+ can volunteer the second Saturday of each month or any other weekend they are available. A Habitat Build-Day starts at 8:30 AM and ends at 4:00 PM. When you arrive at the worksite, Habitat’s volunteer site supervisors will create work crews. You will be placed on a work crew on the basis of skill level and your comfort level on what you would like to work on. Work crew are then paired with the site supervisors who will teach, guide, and assist volunteers with the project tasks they will be working on. Other tips for a successful Build-Day:
- Volunteers must be at least 16-years old and accompanied by a parent if they are under 18-years of age.
- Bring a lunch. There are some restaurants relatively close, and occasionally a church or other service organization may volunteer to make and serve lunches for the construction volunteers.
- Wear old work clothes, and work boots if you have them.
- Tools, work gloves, safety goggles, etc. are provided by Habitat. But, you are welcome to bring you own equipment.
Other Ways to Help
There are lots of ways you can help out Habitat:
- The Re-Store
- Site Selection Committee
- Volunteer lawyers for closings
- Family Partnership Committee
- Family Selection Committee
- Faith Relations Committee
- Helping with Fundraising events
- Volunteer Committee
- Web site work
The Habitat Story
Watch Habitat’s latest video celebrating thirty years of partnering with communities and families to deliver affordable homes. There is also a wonderful article published in the Eagle Tribune where you can read how Habitat for Humanity is enhancing the lives of two veteran families and the joy and hope that they now have looking into the future. The selection process to become a Habitat for Humanity homeowner can take many months and involves applications, interviews, home visits and many hours of sweat equity toward building their new home. The actual finished home can also take a year or more to complete pending how many volunteers show up each weekend to help with the build projects. Habitat families are selected based on:
- Ability to pay
- Need
- Ability to Partner
Families must fit an income range of between 25% to 50% of the average median income for the area. The homes are sold essentially for the cost of the materials to build the home. The mortgage is affordable because the labor is free and it is a no-interest loan. The mortgage is escrowed to include Property Tax, Homeowner Insurance, and a Condo Fee. Need is based on such things as overcrowded or unsafe conditions, lack of heat, leaky roof, structurally unsound dwelling, unsafe neighborhood, and paying more than 40% of income on rent. Families partner with Habitat volunteers and are required to do “sweat equity” hours on their home which adds up to be about every Saturday for approximately one year.
Visit Habitat’s website to learn more.