Habitat to hold dedication ceremony in Columbia Falls
Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley will hold a home dedication ceremony to commemorate the completion of the first two of eight total Habitat homes in Columbia Falls constructed in part with funding from a $360,000 federal grant.
Columbia Falls received the grant through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME Program. The grant is managed jointly by the city and Habitat for Humanity.
The dedication ceremony will take place at the build site on Mitchell Way, off Truck Route, on Tuesday, March 18, at 5:30 p.m. Visitors will be able to see progress on two additional HOME-funded townhouses that broke ground in October 2013 and will be completed by August, and they can tour completed homes.
Four additional lots remain empty awaiting four future families who will be selected in the next couple of months. Construction on those townhomes will begin soon after.
The two families moving into their completed units will be in attendance as well as members of Habitats board of directors and family selection committee, along with key volunteers and sponsors that make the Habitat dream of homeownership possible.
The Habitat project is a 16-unit townhome development. Construction began in May 2011 and will be completed in March 2015.
Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley was established in 1989 with the mission of eliminating substandard housing. Due to rapid population growth, an increase in property values and stagnant income levels, the need for affordable housing in the Flathead Valley has increased over the last two decades.
By using volunteer labor, homeowner “sweat equity” and donations from local and national building material suppliers, Habitat is able to keep the cost of construction low. Three thousand hours of volunteer “labor” are required to complete a Habitat home.
According to U.S. Census data, more than 1,000 Flathead Valley families currently live in substandard housing. Habitat has built 44 homes to date and helped 44 families transition out of substandard housing into safe, decent and affordable homes of their own.
Habitat selects families and/or individuals based on their need, ability to pay a 30-year, no-interest mortgage and on their willingness to partner with the organization. Those interested in applying can call the office at 257-8800.
Habitat for Humanity holds build days every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. No building experience is necessary to help out on a build site, and Habitat’s professional construction site supervisor will assign tasks and supervise all construction. Those interested in volunteering can call 257-8800.