They say home is where the heart is; for one local nonprofit organization, it is their mission to bring the hearts of well-deserved citizens home. With that mission in mind, the Highland Rim Habitat for Humanity (HRHFH) has begun the process of building its next new home in Tullahoma.
After completing their latest home in Franklin County, the city of Tullahoma contacted HRHFH President Terrie Quick. The city donated an abandoned house located on Maplewood Drive. The property has since been cleared and is ready for building.
HRHFH is a nonprofit, nondenominational Christian organization dedicated to building simple, decent, affordable homes in Coffee and Franklin Counties since 1992. The nonprofit is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, which has over 2,300 affiliates worldwide. HRHFH partners with volunteers and low-income families to fulfill its purpose. Homeowner families are chosen according to their needs, ability to repay the no-profit, no-interest mortgage, and willingness to work in partnership with the organization.
According to Quick, additional variables must be completed before construction can begin.
“Some variables are not set in stone yet,” she explained. “We are still going through applications to choose a family. This is a crucial part, as the family will be required to put in what we call sweat equity, which means when we start with the home construction, they work with us, hand in hand and side by side. It just means so much to the other volunteers who also are working on the home. They get to see the family also putting in the work. Everyone gets to know each other, and it really turns out to be such a sweet thing. And we’ve also noticed that when people build something themselves, they take more pride in it.”
Funding is another variable that the organization is working through. The Publix Super Markets Charities program recently donated $5,000 that will go to the project. Quick stated that HRHFH needs corporate partnerships to help provide funding and volunteers in Tullahoma, similar to the organization’s partnership with Nissan in Franklin County, to get the project going.
“We have an excellent partnership with Nissan at Dechard,” said Quick. “Not only do they give financially and on a corporate level, which helps pay for most of a home, but they also structure in their volunteers from their employees. For the success of the home here in Tullahoma, we need at least four to five corporate sponsors who can donate around $25,000 each. We could build a brand new home for that amount.”
Quick will work with the Tullahoma community over the next few months to recruit funds and volunteers to ensure the home’s success. She said her goal is to have her Habitat family in their new home by Christmas.
“The home we just finished in Winchester was started at the end of September,” she explained. “We dedicated it in the middle of December, so it took three months to build. At the same time, that is on the quicker side of things, which can happen when you have great support, volunteers, and funding. The hope for this home is to be finished by Christmas. My goal is always to have a new family and a new home for Christmas.” GN
