Habitat for Humanity
The Madeleine & St. Pius X co-build
The Habitat for Humanity house involving the Catholic build partnership between St. Pius X and The Madeleine is being built at Vance Place, 160th and Farmington Road, Beaverton. This is the second build for St. Pius X and the first for The Madeleine. St. Pius X had raised funds in excess of the needed $55,000 in its first build that has been earmarked for spending in the Habitat for Humanity Willamette West affiliate. Approximately $23,000 raised by St. Pius X is enough to pay for the permits and pour the foundation for a house in Vance Place.
In exchange for The Madeleine becoming a partner in this build and helping to raise the remainder of funds necessary to fulfill the sponsorship, St. Pius X will mentor The Madeleine leaders and volunteers. In turn, The Madeleine will take the knowledge and experience from the partnership and mentor another church on the east side of Portland in support of the Habitat for Humanity Portland affiliate. In the end, it is all about building affordable housing for deserving families anywhere in the Portland Metro area.
We need sponsors!
In order to make this happen for The Madeleine Parish, we need to procure sponsors. Sponsorship involves both financial and volunteer commitments. Sponsorship of a Habitat for Humanity home in the Willamette West affiliate costs $55,000 ($60,000 in the Portland affiliate). A “down payment” is required from the sponsor(s) before the build begins to help secure permits and cover the cost of pouring the foundation. The balance is due prior to completion of the home. Sponsorship generally includes some fundraising activities requiring coordination within the church. Please contact Mark Miller 503.719.6396 mgmiller@nwpump.com if you are interested in donating or sponsoring.
Most sponsors of a Habitat for Humanity house also want to supply volunteers to work on the construction site. Sponsors have the opportunity to select the structure of the framing portion of the build project. The 2009 partnership between St. Pius X Church (St. Pius X) and St. Mary Magdalene Church (The Madeleine) have selected a “blitz build,” which includes three consecutive weekends (Fridays and Saturdays) in which the first and second story frames will be constructed and raised (similar to an old-fashioned barn raising). Additional work days throughout the build will be scheduled, requiring additional volunteer coordination. The frequency of additional work days will be approximately 1 per month. Days set aside for non-skilled volunteers on the construction site are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Volunteer opportunities will be shared by the two parishes. Please contact Jessica Gowdy 503.810.8110, Jessica_gowdy@hotmail.com if you would like to volunteer
We expect to schedule the blitz build for mid-November, with an estimated completion in Spring 2010.
Volunteer needs
We will be sharing volunteer opportunities with our partner, St. Pius X Church.
The number of volunteers needed between both parishes is as follows:
Pre-Cut—
2 shifts each day (Maximum of 6 per shift. No one under the age of 18 and must be comfortable and skilled at operating power saws.
Blitz Build—
Fridays: 2 shifts each day (Maximum of 20 per shift. No one under the age of 17).
Saturdays: 2 shift each day (Maximum of 15 per shift. No one under the age of 17).
For the Pre-Cut and Blitz Build dates only, we are looking for people to assist in providing hospitality (food and beverages). Between the two parishes, each day we will need to cover each a morning break, lunch (for both morning and afternoon shifts), and afternoon break. If you are interested in assisting with this very important ministry, please contact MaryAnne Dooney 503.227.7867 MaryAnne.Dooney@nwpump.com We are requesting for volunteers to secure food and beverage donations and/or donate these items. This is a perfect opportunity for our youth, families, and those with physical limitations, to actively participate in the house construction.
About Habitat for Humanity
Contrary to what most people may believe who are unfamiliar with the organization, Habitat for Humanity does not give away houses. There is an application process that thoroughly screens prospective families. This screening process looks at need (including the family’s current living conditions), ability to repay a mortgage, and an interest in partnering with Habitat for Humanity. Where applicable, this screening process also includes verification of immigration papers. There are approximately 300 applicants each year with the Habitat for Humanity Willamette West affiliate, yet only about 5 houses are built annually.
Each family selected to receive a Habitat for Humanity house must complete 500 hours of sweat equity on their home and/or on one of the other homes being built. A family is not formally assigned a house until they have completed 250 hours of sweat equity. Once the house is completed, a family signs mortgage papers (Habitat for Humanity holds the interest-free mortgage) and makes a monthly mortgage payment. Habitat for Humanity then uses this money to reinvest in purchasing land and building more homes.
Families are also required to take classes offered by Habitat for Humanity on such topics as finance/budgeting and home repairs. The idea is that the more tools Habitat for Humanity can put in the hands of first time homeowner families, the more successful they will be as homeowners and contributing members in their community.
If you have any additional questions or would like to volunteer, please contact one of the committee members.