LAKE COUNTY >> Lake County Habitat for Humanity received a $100,000 grant from the USDA to aid the group in its effort to put low-income Valley Fire victims into affordable homes and to fix those that were damaged in the blaze.
That money is a small fraction of the total cash needed for the organization’s plans, director Richard Birk said. So far, his group has collected $125,000 in donations: $25,000 from Wal-Mart and the rest coming from a source that will be named later.
“We need a few million dollars,” Birk said. “The money doesn’t come from thin air. Habitat is out searching for funds.”
The main goal is to get low-income families into the Home Ownership Program, which gives those at a minimum income level a chance to purchase Habitat built homes with a zero-interest mortgage.
If qualified, a family can purchase a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home for $60,000 to be paid over 30 years. The approximately 1,050 square-foot houses only require payments of $160 a month, including about another $240 for home insurance and property taxes.
That $400 a month cost is significantly less than what fire victims were paying in rent, Birk said. According to his statistics, more than 40 percent of the housing destroyed in the fire was rentals.
However, the construction of these homes will require a lot of money and a good amount of time to collect it. At best, Habitat will start building in a few months.
Except for the campers in Hidden Valley Lake, the rest of the refugees have been placed in temporary housing due to assistance from Lake County, CalOES, and FEMA. In the latest numbers from FEMA’s External Affairs Specialist Steven Solomon, the federal government has approved $10.61 million for housing and other needs assistance.
FEMA interacts with Habitat and other disaster groups using a voluntary agency liaison. The liaison for the Valley Fire is John Chavez, who helped assemble Team Lake County, a new volunteer organization that works with multiple entities (businesses, government, non-profits, etc.) to meet the needs of survivors and to avoid duplication.
Lake County Habitat for Humanity is now part of the team, which is important because the organization provides many resources, Chavez said.
“They provide the three Ms: money, manpower, and materials. That’s vital,” he said.
Those resources will also be used to fix repairable homes that sustained damage in the fire. The rebuilding projects cost between $3,000 and $15,000 and may only cost a victim $25 a month, if the income minimum is met.
But just like building new homes, the repairs will take time. The burn site needs to be cleared of any hazards and its safety must be ensured.
While waiting for the cleanup and the money to come in, Habitat remains patient to make proper plans. The group has been active before the fire and those who have received assistance said the group does quality work.
Cecil Denson, whose Clearlake house was built as part of the Home Ownership Program in 2008, said Birk’s team cares about the community and did a great job with his home.
“They built the house so well, we haven’t had any problems since we moved in,” Denson said. “I think they’re going to respond the fire well.”
For more information or to donate to Habitat for Humanity’s recovery fund, go to lakehabitat.org.
