On Friday, June 16, Habitat Greensboro dedicated its 65th Raising Roofs House in partnership with the Greensboro Builders Association in honor of its 65th anniversary year.
Since 2003, the Greensboro Builders Association has partnered with Habitat Greensboro bi-annually for Raising Roofs. Through this partnership, members of the Greensboro Builders Association volunteer their time, talents, and resources to build homes.
Unlike prior years where Raising Roofs meant that four, five, or even ten homes were blitz built in one week, this year’s home was built following a traditional build schedule with the support of multiple contractors and subcontractors from throughout the community.
As the dedication ceremony started, Habitat Greensboro President and CEO David Kolosieke shared a bit about the founding of the Greensboro Builders Association. “The Greensboro Builders Association started about 65 years ago when the post-war United States had a big boom in housing. A group of ethical builders got together and started what is today known as the Greensboro Builders Association. They pride themselves on the quality of the work and their craftsmanship and ensuring that all of these residential homeowners could have faith and confidence in these builders. So that organization, which has been doing that for 65 years, has also partnered with Habitat for almost 20 years. Thank you.”
The ceremony continued with comments from John Hodgin, owner of John Hodgin Construction Co, member of the Greensboro Builders Association, and chair of this year’s Raising Roofs project, who shared, “I would like to thank the Greensboro Builders Association and Habitat for allowing us to come together to work in partnership these many years to build affordable housing for folks in Greensboro. It’s been our pleasure to do this for 20 years now, and this being the 65th house is kind of special, with it being our 65th year as an association. I want to thank all the many builders that participated in this build and the many vendors, sponsors, and trade contractors who stepped up to help make this a reality. And I just wanted to thank everybody for coming out today. I wish for this family that this house will be a home for you for many years to come.”
This year’s Raising Roofs home was built for Hasinah, a woman who exudes joy and is quick to express her gratitude for the opportunity to purchase her own home, sharing, “I’m most excited about God answering my prayer.” Indeed, God’s hand was at work in Hasinah coming to Habitat Greensboro, as she learned about the Homeownership Program in a most unexpected way.
Hasinah was picking up her children from school when she stopped to offer a stranger a ride. As she took her passenger home, they passed by homes built by Habitat Greensboro. Her passenger was familiar with Habitat, and she shared with Hasinah about the Homeownership Program.
What her passenger did not know was that Hasinah was sharing a two-bedroom apartment with her four youngest children, aged 8 to 14 – the three boys in one room and she and her daughter in the other. Following a divorce, Hasinah was still rebuilding her career and making a life for her family. Before moving to North Carolina, she had operated a home daycare in Ohio for ten years. Reentering the workforce meant that her resources were limited, yet she dreamed of owning her own home, and this chance encounter showed her the path to achieving that dream.
At the dedication of her future home, Hasinah shared, “Thank you for building this house with the very best that you have and with your heart in it. And, just allowing God to use you and your organization to give me and my family this opportunity. Thank you all so much.”
Hasinah will soon close on her home and will pay an affordable mortgage that is no more than 30% of her income. By purchasing her own home, Hasinah is providing her children with a safe, stable environment – a home where they will return for holidays and celebrations. Most importantly, she has shown her children that with strength and perseverance, they can achieve anything.
Click Here to Hear from Hasinah
Click Here to View the Full Dedication
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