NATCHEZ &045;&045; Shemika Butler’s face lights up as she plays with the youngest of her four children, a boy just 10 months old.

But it lights up even more when she begins to talk about being selected as the next family to move into a Habitat for Humanity house in Natchez.

Although she’s thankful for the house she now rents on Bishop Street, it’s cramped for space. And despite the difficulty of saving up a down payment for a house, she can’t see herself sinking money into monthly rent forever.

&uot;Besides,&uot; she said, &uot;there’s just something about owning your own home.&uot;

Soon, Butler will get her chance. In less than one year, Natchez’s Habitat chapter is expected to finish Butler’s new, more spacious house on Smith Street just off Martin Luther King Jr. Street.

&uot;That’s because we do have more people on this&uot; project than on the last one, said Habitat treasurer and board member Duncan McFarlane.

In addition, for a few years Habitat did not have sufficient property on which to build. But last year, the chapter was able to buy enough land in the Smith Street area to build up to seven houses, including Butler’s.

&uot;As soon as we finish hers, we’ll start on another one,&uot; McFarlane said.

&uot;We,&uot; in this case, refers to up to five volunteers who work faithfully on the current house every Wednesday &045;&045; and the up to 10 volunteers who help out every Saturday, weather permitting. The team just started pouring the house’s concrete foundation.

The chapter’s representatives emphasize that a Habitat house isn’t a handout.

A recipient must be willing to put 500 hours of work into the house; must have a need such as substandard living and overcrowding; and must have good credit. The homes have interest-free loans families can pay back over 25 years.

But in addition to the help volunteers and recipients put in at the site itself, Habitat could always use help in the form of monetary donations, with each house costing about $35,000 to build.

Donations, as well as applications for houses, can be sent to Habitat for Humanity, P.O. Box 100, Natchez, MS 39120.