Homeownership

Fairview Partner Families

Eleven homes in Phases I, II, and III have been completed and families are enjoying all the benefits of home ownership.  They’ve decorated to their tastes; they’ve been through holidays; and they’ve become established in this new community.  Even more importantly, they are now voting in their new neighborhood, regularly attending new schools, paying homeowner taxes and putting down roots for their families that will last for years to come.

In September of 2009, we started two of the final four homes to be built at the Fairview Cottages.  With the assistance of hundreds of volunteers and kids from New Market School’s Construction Trades department, those homes were completed by March of 2010.  In May, 2010 the final two homes were started.

And they are indeed homes, rather than cottages.  By City of Olympia code, a cottage is  no more than 1200 square feet, almost exactly the size of our three bedroom, one bath cottages.  But for larger families who need more bedrooms, the final two homes in Phase IV are four bedrooms and two baths in about 1400 square feet.

Following are the stories of the four families who will be working on and living in Phase IV homes.  They are an awesome group of families and welcome additions to the community!

 

Erica and her four year old daughter, Freijda, were the first family to be identified for Phase IV.  As a single mom, Erica keeps very busy:  she is a student at SPSCC (having earned her CNA certification and now completing the prerequisites that will allow her to go for her RN);  she works as a care giver for an older couple;  and of course she’s responsible for keeping the homefires burning.  Now she’s added “building her own home” to her schedule and is adamant that that activity will receive top priority!

Richele is the assistant director of a nursery school in Tumwater and Kaitlyn is a shy, bright little four year old.  In her application, Richele talked about living “in the middle of nowhere,” fronted by a busy road with  50 mile-an-hour traffic right in front –certainly not an ideal situation for children.  She also commented that they have moved over the years on a regular basis as rents go up quite a bit and apartments become unaffordable.  Richele is looking forward to staying in one spot for a long time to come – and that would be at the Fairview Cottages!

 

Mohammed and Farzana and their four children, ranging in age from eight to nineteen years, have been living in a rental that is about to be sold, so a move is in order.  The option of purchasing a home has been high on their list of wants for several years, but doing so through the conventional methods of financing would be out of the question.  Mohammed has a long history of work at a large local warehouse and Farzana is taking classes at SPSCC; their oldest child is a student at UW and the next is a student in the Running Start program at River Ridge High.  With some major successes already evident, the Partnership Committee recognized the desire to keep these positives going, and to maintain the stability that is so necessary in a child’s growing years.

 

All Habitat families work long sweat equity hours in order to move into their own homes.  It’s quite a commitment because it is in addition to all the things they are already doing: in most cases, working full time jobs and raising children – and all that those things imply.  Please join us in wishing them all good weather and good fortune as they work on their homes!