6/11/07
By Steve Huffman, Salisbury Post
In a kitchen crowded with both children and adults, Samira Mustafic squeezed past Mike Wendt, then immediately apologized for having to do so.
"Excuse me," Mustafic said, smiling as she passed.
Wendt smiled back, but quickly corrected her.
"No," he said, "excuse me. This is your house, after all."
And so it is.
On Sunday afternoon, Habitat for Humanity of Rowan County dedicated its two recently completed houses in the Forest Creek subdivision.
The houses, located at 1215 and 1227 Celebration Drive, are the 64th and 65th completed by the local Habitat chapter since its inception in 1990.
Mustafic and her husband, Amir, and their three children will occupy the house at 1215 Celebration Drive. Calling the house next door home will be Jennifer and Chris Plummer and their four children.
Samira and Jennifer and all their children were gathered Sunday in the Mustafic house.
Also on hand were assorted neighbors and dignitaries, including Coleman Emerson, executive director of the local Habitat chapter.
Both houses had the smell of new, and everything about them — from the counter tops in the kitchens to the carpet in the bedrooms — was fresh and clean.
Wendt, who was the one who reminded Mustafic that the house is hers, is a services specialist for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, the organization that provides much of the funding for Habitat houses.
Wendt, who traveled from Durham for Sunday's dedication, noted that his organization provided about $110,000 (roughly 65 percent of the total cost) of financing for the two houses.
He said the Mustafics and the Plummers — as well as all Habitat home dwellers — must pay for their houses through 20-year interest-free loans.
"And that money goes to pay for the next guy's house," Wendt said.
He said Thrivent Financial is the only company included among the Fortune 500 that's a nonprofit. He said that this year, the organization is playing a role in constructing 355 Habitat homes across the United States, including 17 in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Thrivent has committed $24.5 million to the projects.
Habitat's goal, Wendt and others involved in the venture say, is to make homeowners of those who might not otherwise be able to afford such purchases.
As Emerson, the executive director of the local branch, put it, Habitat makes it possible for people to change their lives and their lifestyles.
"They're no longer takers of the economic system," Emerson said. "They're givers."
He said those applying for Habitat homes are carefully screened. Emerson noted that those selected find themselves the owners of properties valued at $100,000 or more.
It's a blessing, Emerson said, but also a responsibility.
"We have to have people who are ready for that house," he said. "We want them to be successful."
In addition to going through an extensive screening, homeowners must also invest 400 hours of "sweat equity."
Jennifer Plummer said her hours of sweat equity involved driving nails, raising walls and doing any other types of construction, work she'd never done before.
"It was hard," she said.
But Plummer said the work was worth it.
She said she and her husband and their children had been living in a mobile home in Gold Hill. They'll be moving to Celebration Drive within weeks.
"It's new," Plummer said when asked the best thing about her four bedroom, two bath house. "Nothing's been used. And there'll be enough room for all my children."
Samira Mustafic, a native of Bosnia who has lived in the United States 10 years, said much the same.
She said she and her husband and their children have been living in a crowded apartment. They'll also be moving to their Habitat house within a month.
Because she was pregnant while her house was being built, Mustafic did her sweat equity work at the Habitat for Humanity General Store on East Innes Street.
Her 1-month-old son attended Sunday's dedication, sleeping peacefully through the event in his baby carrier.
"Everything's fine," Mustafic said, referring to both her son and her new house.
"I'm very excited."
* * *
Habitat for Humanity of Rowan County plans to build at least two — and possibly as many as four — more houses this fall. Anyone interested in applying to become a Habitat homeowner can get more information by calling the organization at (704) 642-6292.
SOURCE: Salisbury Post
