Habitat for Humanity volunteers give hope in community

University of South Dakota students are bettering their community by spreading kindness and fighting poverty through Habitat for Humanity, transitioning into a new partnership with the Yankton HFH-SD branch.

There are 12 official branches in South Dakota. In the 14 years it has been active, HFH-SD has built 435 homes — 26 in 2012 alone.

Habitat for Humanity is an international Christian organization founded in 1976 which aims to build affordable housing for low-income families and combat poverty, according to the Habitat for Humanity South Dakota website.

The unofficial branch of HFH at USD made a change this summer and is now partnering with the Yankton branch instead of the Sioux City branch, said Maxwell Swanson, president of HFH at USD. Swanson said Yankton is a better fit and the change also occurred due to “organizational issues” in Sioux City.

USD’s HFH has about 25-30 members, Swanson said.

USD junior and secretary Marissa McCoy, and advertising chair and junior Josh Hayes, said working with the future homeowners is a great experience.

“It’s like an eye opener, seeing the people who are going to live there,” McCoy said. “You kinda have a stereotype a little bit, and they’re just so awesome. They’re so thankful and they’re really cool to work with.”

Community members Susan Rofles and Steve Walters are spearheading the HFH effort for the town of Vermillion. A city organization would allow members of the community who aren’t USD students to participate.

“We’ve seen some organizations try to start, but they never actually became an organization,” Rofles said.

Rofles and Walters began their efforts in January. They contacted HFH of Yankton County to see what had been done previously in Vermillion.

Because HFH requires a population base of 15,000 for an official branch, and a build costs $70,000 to start, Rofles wants Vermillion’s chapter to start small.

“One of our goals is for longevity, so we’re just taking it slow… so we make good decisions,” she said.

The group traveled to Yankton Oct. 4 to help build a new home on Pearl Street near the Federal Prison Camp. Other volunteers included HFH of Yankton County, SESDAC and inmates from the prison.

Work on this home started last summer. A build takes about a year from the time the frame is installed, said Taria Bradley, who moved into her HFH house in December and now works for Yankton’s HFH.

Locals can buy and decorate a piece of lumber to be used in the home’s wooden frame for $100, which is exactly what community member Carol Borchard does. Proceeds go to building materials and other expenses.

Many boards have inspirational messages written on them. Others are painted. One was decorated with ribbons and another was a memorial.

“One by itself can do little, but many brought together can create a home,” read one board.

One message on a roof tress in the middle of the house read, “Make God the center of your home.” The location was pure coincidence,  said HFH of Yankton County construction supervisor Chris Frick.

These boards will eventually be covered by Sheetrock because they only compose the wooden frame, but the messages and decorations will remain inside the walls of the home — not seen, but felt at the heart of the home.

Because of recent changes in construction, this home stands out from previous builds in other ways.

“This is our first two-bedroom home and first home with a garage,” Bradley said. “We are going to start giving a little bit more of an option on your layout of your home to blend into your neighborhood a little better.”

Bradley added that while many people are accepting of the fact that their neighbors may live in a HFH home, she thinks it’s nice to be able to blend into your community.

“There’s been a couple homeowners that I’ve offered for them to come out and see our house, to see the interior and exterior that we’ve done to our house, so they can see what their future could look like,” Bradley said.

Bradley added that working with USD has been great, and she is thankful not only for USD’s involvement, but also for the assistance from other organizations that have joined the project.

“I appreciate everybody’s help and that everybody’s able to come and help us with adding to the community, giving everybody a ‘hands up’ instead of a ‘hands out,’ as we put it,” she said.

And HFH doesn’t just build new homes. HFH helped renovate the Vermillion Assisted Living home Sept. 26, in collaboration with the A Brush With Kindness Program. A Brush With Kindness is a HFH project focused on fixing up the exterior of homes.

The old, yellow paint was replaced with a brighter color. Other volunteers included SESDAC and members interested in forming a Vermillion HFH group.

Hayes said the experience goes beyond just the physical time and effort.

“I think that’s really a special thing, because you see the need that they really truly do have, and they really are appreciative of it,” he said. “It’s not like, ‘I’m entitled to this.’ I thought that was amazing.”

Rofles plans to partner with Yankton in the spring and hopes to attract more members and raise awareness in the community by hanging up flyers and partner with other organizations, such as HFH of USD and church groups.

“If you look in our community, there are houses that need work, and we have the resources here,” said Rofles.

(Photo: Maxwell Swanson, senior and President of Habitat For Humanity at the University of South Dakota, and first \-year Raven Blahnik install a roof joist at a HFH home in Yankton Saturday morning. Megan Street / The Volante)