Habitat group works on No. 10

Published 6:00 am Wednesday, December 6, 2006

Work is under way on Habitat for Humanity house number 10 in Natchez.

The satisfaction of building affordable housing for a family that has never owned a home keeps the Habitat volunteers coming back for more, said Duncan McFarlane, who has been involved with the Natchez chapter since returning to his hometown in 2001.

“The reason I enjoy it so much is that you can see the finished product and the impact it has on the family,” McFarlane said. “It’s a long haul, eight or nine months to build the house but very much worth it.”

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Work is intense, and the program requires that those for whom the house is being constructed take part in the project along with volunteers.

The future owners’ participation in the work is called “sweat equity” by Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat is not a give-away program. The requirement for work by the future owners is evidence of that premise.

Low-income families can afford the Habitat houses, as they come with a modest down payment and low monthly mortgage rates.

“We get to know the people who are going to live in the houses,” McFarlane said. “We work side by side with them while we’re building.”

The house under construction now will be a new venture for the Natchez Habitat group, as its owner is a man with physical disabilities.

“This will be a different kind of house with different codes, and we’ll learn from this,” McFarlane said.

Because the prospective owner is not able physically to help with the building, he helps in other ways.

“He is our time keeper. He helps us order supplies,” McFarlane said. “You might say he’s providing clerical sweat equity.”

McFarlane said during the 40 years he was away from Natchez, he tried to become involved in Habitat programs.

“In Atlanta, I never could get involved. I wanted to build. They told me I could answer the phone.”

In Natchez, however, he became involved almost as soon as he let it be known that he was interested.

“Now, I’m doing what I wanted to do,” he said.

Five or six core workers show up every day for work when a house is under construction, he said.

These are dedicated workers, and they are devoted to the idea behind Habitat for Humanity.

“It’s a Christian ministry involved in building affordable, decent housing,” he said. “We’re trying to abide by Christian principles in what we do.”

Andrew Calvit, the president of the Natchez chapter, embodies those principles, McFarlane said.

“He opens and closes every workday with prayer,” McFarlane said. “The spirit that Andrew portrays permeates the organization.”