Habitat for Humanity Sussex County dedicates two new homes
On July 26, Habitat for Humanity Sussex County held a home dedication ceremony for its two newest homeowners on Tracy Street in Georgetown. This home dedication was possible through Habitat for Humanity’s housing program for low-income families.
The two houses were dedicated to Maria Hernandez with her husband Luis Marte Arias, and Rasheedha Robinson. Hernandez and Robinson each participated in the housing program, which prepares participants to be responsible homeowners.
Each Habitat for Humanity home is built with a family in mind to ensure each home fits the family. Families are chosen through an application process and must undergo Habitat’s education program, which includes financial literacy coaching. Families are also asked to help build their homes and the homes of other habitat families.
“They each worked hard to get here. And it’s not a giveaway; we sell the house. What we do is we finance it in a way that’s affordable to a lower-income homebuyer,” said Kevin Gilmore, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Sussex County.
At the dedication ceremony, each family was presented with gifts and donations from supporting programs. They were also presented with a large golden key, representative of their future home key, and a Bible for their home.
One of the donors at the event was Common Threads, a group from Eagle’s Nest Church and a longtime supporter of Habitat for Humanity. Judy Hale and Jan Lobiondo, both members of Common Threads, donated fabricated and homemade household items such as quilts, placemats and pillowcases to help create a homey environment for the new homeowners.
The Rehoboth Art League was another participant, donating local art to each homeowner. Sara Ganter, the executive director of RAL, created an online gallery to facilitate artwork for new homeowners to choose from. This way, the homeowners were able to choose artwork that spoke to them.
Members of the Habitat for Humanity family, such as Kenya Neal, took a moment to share their experiences with the families at the dedication. Neal worked one-on-one with Hernandez and Robinson during the education and financial literacy process and spoke of the heartwarming moments she shared with each family.
At the end of the dedication ceremony, attendees placed a hand on the newly standing homes as Gilmore said a prayer over each house. After this warm welcome, family members and other guests took self-guided tours through the homes to see how each household is unique to its family.
The two homes are part of 12 new homes being built as a part of the Kimmytown revitalization project in Georgetown. After each house is completed with new family members inside, there will be a new community populating Kimmytown, an area within the town of Georgetown.
“We’re really pleased to be working in the town of Georgetown. The town has been really supportive of our efforts,” Gilmore said.
Each Habitat home takes about six months to build with the help of internal and external volunteers. Habitat for Humanity has hosted multiple volunteer build days such as a women’s build, which worked on the two homes dedicated on Tracy Street, a Pride build, M&T Bank volunteer days and other volunteer opportunities.
For more information about Habitat, go to sussexcountyhabitat.org.
