How long have you been volunteering with Habitat and in what capacity?

I have been volunteering for a year and a half.  I have volunteered in the store, in the office, and on a job site.

What does Habitat mean to you?

To me, Habitat means community; our collective efforts are supporting the community and I feel community with the people I have met while volunteering.

What would you like other people to know about volunteering?

First, as an alternately-abled person I was ecstatic to learn that there were a variety of opportunities for me to volunteer. Secondly, for many of us, our energy, time and skills are more prolific than the financial resources we have to donate; volunteering helps me disburse my excess time, energy & skills and transform it into a resource that supports and strengthens our community.

What is the Critical Home Repairs program?

Simply put, this program helps homeowners fix problems to extend the life of their home.

When people think of Habitat, they often think of building new homes. There are a lot of people, however, who already own homes but don’t have the capacity to keep up the maintenance on their homes for one reason or another. Our Critical Home Repairs program helps people stay in their homes for longer, when they otherwise might have to move out and find other housing if their home becomes unlivable.

As you can imagine, having to find a new place to live in an area that doesn’t have enough housing is extremely difficult. So Critical Repairs is another approach to tackling the housing crisis. It’s an approach that supports Habitat’s mission. I really feel that this program offers hope within our community.

What does a homeowner have to do to qualify for the program?

An applicant must own and live in their home. We don’t fix rentals, only primary residences. Homeowners must earn less than 80% of the area median income to qualify. Additionally, the problem with the house can’t simply be cosmetic, it must be an issue that impacts the livability of the home.

A few examples of issues include dry rot, electrical wiring problems, plumbing issues, and leaking roofs. Another example is necessary improvements to accessibility, such as a ramp, because a homeowner is unable to navigate their stairs.

What tips do you have for people interested in the program?

My number one piece of advice is don’t wait to address the problem. A problem never resolves itself, it only gets worse over time. Habitat can do so much more to alleviate problems if they are tackled early on. It would be a tragedy to let something get so bad that we couldn’t fix it.

If you are wondering if you qualify or if you are not sure your issue is something Habitat can help with, reach out to us. We want to hear from you. Call our office at 360-379-2827 and ask to speak to the Homeowner Services Team or email us at homes@habitatejc.org.

Lastly, I’d like to mention that while Habitat EJC serves all of East Jefferson County, we are seeking more Critical Home Repairs opportunities in the Brinnon-Quilcene area. It’s more difficult for Habitat to build new homes in the southern part of our county, so focusing on home repairs in that area is really important. In fact, we have volunteer opportunities, too, if there are people looking for volunteer opportunities in Quilcene or Brinnon.