Two stories. Two houses. One brand, spanking new. The other destroyed by a storm. Connecting the two is a lot of love and compassion for a fellow human being.
The new one was provided by Habitat for Humanity. We are all at least somewhat familiar with Habitat. Former President Jimmy Carter has been a volunteer with Habitat for 30-something years, and even in his mid-90s, he’s still at it. You might say that Carter put Habitat on the map.
It’s certainly on the map in Pine Bluff. As we read over the story in Thursday’s paper about the nonprofit completing its 14th house and handing over the keys to the new owner, we couldn’t help but think about what a perfect equation that Habitat operates within.
In this case, Relyance Bank had ponied up the money for the construction of the house. That contribution, as you might imagine, is one of the key elements in getting the process going. With that money in place, the agency starts looking around for a qualified recipient. Word goes out that applications are being accepted. They come flooding in.
The rules are fairly strict. This is not just a “here’s a house” arrangement. The person has to be employed and be able to qualify for a loan. There needs to be stability.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
When the list is pared down, a selection committee takes over, interviewing each potential recipient. We imagine there is a fair amount of hand wringing there at the end, but eventually, the committee selects a lucky soul.
That’s when things get busy. One of the beauties of Habitat is that the person chosen has to work hard to get their own house built — 400 hours of work. That’s a lot of time, especially when the person putting in the time already has a real job.
But the community gets to help, too. In the case of the woman who got her house this week in Pine Bluff, there were many, many volunteer hours that also went into building the house, all overseen by someone who actually knows how to build a house.
Over that building phase, the recipient also takes classes on home ownership. Because each of these people is a first-time home buyer, there is much to learn.
So on the one end, they have been responsible adults, and on the other, they now know how a kitchen sink is put in and that the air-conditioning filter needs to be changed periodically.
Oh, and they have to pay for their house. It’s zero interest for 20 years, which is a favorable deal, but they make those monthly payments just like every other homeowner.
That money then goes back to Habitat to help keep the operation going.
Amazing in its simplicity and perfection. And it all creates a whole bunch of smiles and happy people.
Across town was a story that was sad for quite awhile, but is in the midst of a having a happy ending. Remember the big blow that came through on Easter Sunday? Trees down all over. Power poles and power lines down everywhere. Power out for days.
Well, one of those trees fell across a woman’s house and destroyed it. The homeowner of 35 years wasn’t at home when it happened, but she also had no insurance and no way to get back into her home.
That was back in April. Enter Roosevelt Brown, a pastor at Family Church’s Pine Bluff campus. He wasn’t sure how he was going to help this woman, but he did have a lot of faith that the woman was going to be helped. He reached out to the mayor’s office and to a friend who is with a ministry program that aids in cleanup activities.
With all three working together, the rubble that was the woman’s home is being cleared, and Brown is determined, through faith, to get a replacement built for her. Our recommendation would be to help him in this cause, but at no point should you get in his way because he’s something of a force to be reckoned with.
So many stories end with a shake of the head and with sadness or dismay over something that has happened. Not so these. On the contrary, they bring warmth and a smile that good people are out there, putting one positive step in front of the other. That can’t help but inspire the rest of us to follow.