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The Keys To A Dream

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By GEORGE H. NEWMAN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 10, 2007

PLANT CITY - Good things are often worth waiting for and the future owners of Habitat for Humanity homes nearing completion on East Drane Street are living that old adage.

Melanie Bettis and Etta James, the soon to be owners, have been working since January to help volunteers build their three bedroom, two bath homes. Both houses should be ready for occupancy by the end of October.

Applications for the home were taken in March 2006. Following the selection of Bettis and James as the new homeowners, work began on the property in January.

'Melanie and Etta have gone through the process side by side since we took applications,' said Pat Ulin, vice chairman of the Plant City chapter.
Ulin and her husband, Ken, the project construction leader, have worked with dozens of volunteers each Saturday since breaking ground on the adjoining properties.

'It's been a long time coming from groundbreaking to the closing and dedication,' James said.

Early next month, the single mothers will see their dreams come true when they get the keys to their homes at a dedication ceremony.

'I can't give you a definite date at this time,' Ken Ulin said. 'Until I have the certificate of occupancy from the city in my hand I can't put a date on the dedication.'

In the meantime James and Bettis have compiled more than 500 hours of volunteer work each on the site preparation and construction this year. Their physical involvement at the site is just part of the agreement they must make to qualify as owners.

'It will be a relief to finally move into this home,' James said. 'Progress was interrupted by permitting, weather and scheduling conflicts, but everyone worked hard to make it happen. And it's almost complete.'

A.W. Moore, who provided heavy equipment to help the local Habitat chapter volunteers clear the properties, is contracted to install an asphalt driveway for each home this month.

'Thousands of volunteer hours have gone into the construction of these two homes,' chapter chairman Don Rainard said. 'Nothing happens without the dedication of our volunteers.'

Money, as expected, is another large part of the equation. Contributions from the public, fundraisers and corporate donations are needed to make it all work.

Publix Super Markets Charities is helping to sponsor the Bettis home. The James house was sponsored in part by New Century Mortgage Corporations. Both companies donated $50,000 for the homes that cost about $75,000 each to construct.

'We are very grateful to Publix and New Century for the financial support they have given us,' Rainard said. 'We are still looking for other companies or individuals to step up to help us pay the rest of the costs. Contractors are volunteering time and material. But we need more help.'

Qualifying as a potential owner is just the beginning of a long process, Habitat officials said.

'Not everyone who applies is able to qualify or stay with the program,' Pat Ulin said. 'Some people need to find a place sooner than a Habitat home can be completed. Or they are unable to put in the volunteer time needed to satisfy the agreement. But Melanie and Etta have met each requirement with enthusiasm. And the closer the homes get to completion the more excited they have become.'

Once an applicant has been approved for a home by Habitat For Humanity they go on a waiting list.

'At that time, we have no idea when the construction will take place,' Pat Ulin said. 'We only know that we have a lot available and we begin the process of finding a sponsor to help us build the home.'

Many of the volunteers are members of the Plant City Church of God, on Mud Lake Road, where Bettis attends.

Bettis, who creates financial documents in Braille for Brailleworks, is the mother of a second-grade student at Lincoln Elementary School, six blocks from her Habitat For Humanity home.

'This is a blessing for us,' Bettis said. 'There has been a lot of adversity in my life. But the experience I have had since applying with Habitat has been more wonderful than I could ever say. Having a home to call my own, built by people I can now call my friends, is overwhelming.'

James, who works several jobs including as a security guard, and mother of two boys ages 17 and 15, has a special reason for joy as the dedication draws near.

'My father Nathaniel James passed away on the day I first saw this land,' James said with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. 'It was Dec. 2, 2006. So it will be special for us to remember my father and move into our new home. I will dedicate that important day to my father.'
Rainard said the local chapter is looking for additional lots or parcels to build Habitat homes in Plant City.

'We were able to get these lots on Drane Street at a very reasonable price,' Rainard said. 'But we have families on waiting lists who would like to live in Plant City. We can use all the help we can get.'

The Plant City Habitat chapter has built one other home. The Tampa Habitat chapter built two homes in Plant City a few years ago.

Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, Christian housing ministry that works to eliminate substandard housing and homelessness. The organization has built more than 225,000 houses around the world since it was founded in 1976, according to the agency's Web site. It has been championed by former President Jimmy Carter.

AT A GLANCE

For information concerning the Plant City Chapter of Habitat For Humanity, call Pat or Ken Ulin at (813) 717-7946.

Reporter George H. Newman can be reached at (813) 865-4451 or gnewman@tampatrib.com.

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